Statues Are Being Toppled Following George Floyd’s Death

By Staff, Agencies

The death of George Floyd is leading to the removal – by protesters in some cases and city leaders in others – of contentious statues that have riled some residents for decades, if not longer.

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on May 25 in Minneapolis. While being arrested, Floyd was held down by a Minneapolis police officer's knee for more than eight minutes. He was pronounced dead shortly after. His death, which was captured on video, sparked widespread protests across the US, with people calling for an end to police brutality against people of color.

Controversial monuments, especially Confederate monuments, have been the subject of nationwide debate, particularly since Dylann Roof killed nine African Americans in a Charleston, South Carolina, church in 2015 in an effort to "start a race war."

And it flared up again after white nationalists marched in 2017 to protest the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a counter-protester was killed amid violent clashes between demonstrators.

Some say they mark history and honor heritage. Others argue they are racist symbols of America's dark legacy of slavery. While some cities have already made efforts to remove them, others have passed laws to protect them.

Here's a look at some of the monuments that have been removed over the last few weeks.

The top of a Confederate monument in downtown Norfolk was removed by the city, according to an online statement.

A statue of a soldier known as Johnny Reb was lifted off its pedestal and taken away. The bottom part of the monument is scheduled to be removed in August, according to CNN affiliate WTKR.

Meanwhile in Portsmouth, Virginia, protesters partially dismantled the town's Confederate monument, even completely removing one of the statues. A man was hit by the statue and is in the hospital suffering life threatening conditions, according to Virginia State Police.

In Richmond, Virginia, a crowd of protesters in Richmond brought down the statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, according to CNN affiliate WRIC.

In Louisville, Kentucky, the John Breckenridge Castleman monument, a statue of a Confederate soldier in the heart of downtown, was removed, according to an online statement from Mayor Greg Fischer.

Crews in Hemming Park in downtown Jacksonville – Florida – took down a 122-year-old statue and plaque that honored fallen Confederate soldiers, according to CNN affiliate WJAX.

Demonstrators at Linn Park [Birmingham, Alabama] attempted to remove a 115-year-old monument during a protest on May 31.

About 90 miles south of Birmingham, demonstrators tore down a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee that stood in front of Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama, on June 1, according to CNN affiliate WSFA.

Nonetheless, a controversial statue of Edward Carmack, a former US senator and newspaper owner known for attacking civil rights advocates like Ida B. Wells, was carried away from the city's Capitol grounds, according to CNN affiliate WKRN.

The removal came after demonstrators in Nashville, Tennessee tore the monument down on Sunday.

In the meantime, crews in historic Old Town Alexandria removed a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier named "Appomattox" last Tuesday morning. The memorial was erected in 1889 to honor Confederate soldiers from the Virginia city.

Mobile city in Alabama removed the statue of Confederate Adm. Raphael Semmes from downtown and took it to a secure location, Mayor Sandy Stimpson said in a tweet.

Moreover, the Jefferson Davis statue that stood in the Kentucky Capitol rotunda has been removed, according to CNN affiliate WKYT.

A crowd gathered in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur on June 18 to watch the removal of a Confederate monument -- the latest controversial symbol toppled in the wake of the George Floyd protests.

While there are several Confederate monuments sprinkled throughout the country, protesters across the pond are pushing for the removal of controversial landmarks as well. This month, Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol, pulled down a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston and rolled it through the streets before dumping it, unceremoniously, into the River Avon.

Britain's towns and cities are dotted with monuments to figures like Colston.

On Tuesday, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced a commission to examine the future of landmarks around the capital, including murals, street art, street names and statues.

And while the fate of several controversial statues throughout the country have been determined, monuments in Indianapolis, Indiana; Rocky Mountain, North Carolina; and in Roanoke and Norfolk, both in Virginia, remain, but plans are in motion for their removal.