Charlottesville historic monument controversy

The Charlottesville historic monument controversy is the public discussion on how Charlottesville should respond to protesters who complain that various local monuments are racist. The controversy began before 2016 when protest groups in the community asked the city council for the local removal of Confederate monuments and memorials. Other monuments became part of the controversy, including those of Thomas Jefferson because of his ownership of slaves and those of Lewis and Clark for their advocacy of white colonists over Native Americans.

In 2016, the Charlottesville city council responded by voting to make changes including the removal of some statues and changing the names of some parks. Counterprotesters then filed a lawsuit to keep the statues.

On July 10, 2021, the city removed the statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.[1]

Monuments

Events

Establishment of Blue Ribbon Commission
Main article: Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces

Renaming of parks
See also: Market Street Park and Court Square Park

On 4 June 2017, attorneys representing the decedents of Confederate soldiers opposed the renaming of the parks.[5]

In June 2017, the city council voted to rename the parks. Jackson Park became "Justice Park," and Lee Park became "Emancipation Park."[6]

In July 2018, the city council voted again 4-1 to rename the parks.[7] Emancipation Park became "Market Street Park," and Justice Park became "Court Square Park."[7] City council members voting to change the names said that the idealistic names did not fit if the Confederate statues remained in the park.[7] Also, they reported to have survey results in favor of the new names.[7] The city council member in opposition said that renaming the parks would lead the community to avoid necessary conversation.[7]

Payne v. City of Charlottesville
Main article: Payne v. City of Charlottesville

Payne v. City of Charlottesville was the lawsuit filed by advocates for preservation of the monuments. The lawsuit paused removal of the statues and argued against various alterations.

Unite the Right rally
Main article: Unite the Right rally

The Unite the Right rally was an event on August 11–12, 2017 in Charlottesville organized in protest of attempts to remove monuments in Charlottesville.[8] The event drew international media attention and included violence that included a death.

Response

In October 2016 a report by city staff in Charlottesville estimated that the cost of removing the statues could be $700,000.[9] At the time this amount of money was large enough to be a factor in making a decision about moving the statues.[9]

In May 2017 Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer wrote to explain why he, as one of 5 members of city council, voted with the minority in a 3-2 decision to keep the statue in place.[10] He explained that removing the statue would lead to people forgetting the racist history of the community.[10] By keeping the statue in place he hoped that the community could reinterpret it from being a symbol of racial oppression to a memorial for remembering the struggle to overcome oppression.[10]

References
  1. Paviour, Ben (10 July 2021). "Charlottesville Removes Robert E. Lee Statue That Sparked A Deadly Rally". NPR.org.
  2. Higgins, Jessie (September 15, 2020). "'Johnny Reb' is gone — Here's the status of the 5 other Charlottesville-area statues activists want removed". www.cvilletomorrow.org.
  3. Perez, Maria (14 April 2018). "The Thomas Jefferson Statue at the University of Virginia had the words "Racist + Rapist" spray painted in red". Newsweek.
  4. Baars, Samantha (3 March 2016). "Controversy resurfaces: Should the statue stand?". C-VILLE Weekly.
  5. SUAREZ, CHRIS (4 June 2017). "Deed prevents renaming of Jackson Park, lawyers say". The Daily Progress.
  6. "Charlottesville City Council Votes to Rename Lee, Jackson Parks". nbc29.com. WVIR-TV. 5 June 2017. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  7. "Charlottesville parks aren't ready for Justice, Emancipation". Chicago Sun-Times. Associated Press. 17 July 2018.
  8. Fortin, Jacey (August 13, 2017). "The Statue at the Center of Charlottesville's Storm". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  9. Suarez, Chris (8 October 2016). "Removal of Lee, Jackson statues could cost Charlottesville $700,000". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  10. Signer, Michael (24 May 2017). "I'm a progressive mayor. Here's why I voted no on removing my city's Confederate statue". Washington Post.
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