RICHMOND (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2020) Richmond, once the capital of the American pro-slavery secessionist South, bids farewell to its dubious historical legacy, shedding little tears for a monument of a Confederate general and anticipating more statues to fall.
Municipal contractors with a crane, trucks and harnesses pulled a 100-year-old equestrian bronze sculpture of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson down from its granite pedestal hours after Mayor Levar Stoney ordered "the immediate removal" of multiple monuments in the city to curb the spread of coronavirus and avoid any confrontations between demonstrators with opposing views on the issue.
"Let it fall. Stop being nice to him," someone from a crowd of several hundred shouts as workers gently place Jackson on his side using tires as a cushion. "I want to put a foot on his neck," a woman cries repeatedly when a noose is slipped around the general's neck.
Toppling monuments, which glorify the Confederates or are otherwise perceived derogatory to American communities of color, became a major demand of the nationwide anti-racism movement, ignited around a month ago by a televised in-custody death of George Floyd, an African American resident of Minneapolis.
"There should be no monuments erected to losers. If I have a terrorist organization that fought against the United States, that separated from the United States ... Let's say ISIS [a terrorist organization, banned in Russia], should there be ISIS statues in New York City, the place of 9/11? This is equivalent to that to me," one of the spectators says.
For him, Confederate monuments are a product of "a revisionist history, which was never the truth." Stonewall Jackson's statue is part of Richmond's Monument Avenue. It also features statues of General James "Jeb" Stuart, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, and Robert Lee, Commander of the Confederate Army.
The removal of the latter was ordered by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, but it stalled pending the resolution of several lawsuits. Most plaintiffs preferred to stay anonymous.
A worker, who removed Stonewall Jackson's statue, quietly confesses that he would prefer it to stay since it is "a part of history." "That's my opinion, but this is my job, and I get paid for it," he says.
Another dissenting voice is heard in the crowd. "Wages are going to go up, police are going to stop killing people, and all because of this dead Confederate general. I can't wait," someone scoffs sarcastically.
An elderly white man, who is eager to capture every moment of the removal on his small camera, says that he has lived near Monument Avenue for over 30 years and is glad that Stonewall Jackson is finally gone. "It's high time, it alienates so many people. I don't know anyone who would think differently," he says.
An African American man brandishes an automatic rifle, two pistols, and a pit bull dog. "I am here to protect myself and everybody that came with us. Peacefully, but sometimes in order to be peaceful you have to have a deterrent," the man explains his gear.
He introduces himself as a veteran of Richmond protests, which revolve around Confederate statues and have more than once turned violent.
Now the African American advocates "a conversation" to decide on a replacement for Stonewall Jackson. "Step outside your white area, step outside your black area. Have a conversation. What would you like to see here instead? What would bring a community together? That's what I would like to have. Conversations. Conversations change opinions," he urges.
It takes hours to remove the statue from its graffiti-sprayed pedestal and place it on a truck. The crowd turns jubilant as it finally leaves. "See you never," someone shouts.
