Lexington, KY mayor announces all Confederate statues are coming down because of Charlottesville

Daily Kos Staff

Sunday August 13, 2017 · 1:51 PM PDT

2017/08/13 · 13:51

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - AUGUST 12: Virginia State Police in riot gear stand in front of the statue of General Robert E. Lee before forcing white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the "alt-right" out of Lee Park after the "Unite the Right" rally was declared an unlawful gathering August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. After clashes with anti-fascist protesters and police the rally was declared an unlawful gathering and people were forced out of Lee Park, where a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is slated to be removed. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) — You are done.

Lexington, Kentucky’s Mayor Jim Gray hit social media to make this announcement in the wake of the Charlottesville white supremacy riot:

I am taking action to relocate the Confederate statues. We have thoroughly examined this issue, and heard from many of our citizens.
Ã¢ÂÂ Mayor Jim Gray (@JimGrayLexKY) August 12, 2017

The tragic events in Charlottesville today have accelerated the announcement I intended to make next week.
Ã¢ÂÂ Mayor Jim Gray (@JimGrayLexKY) August 12, 2017

Good job, white supremacists! As Daily Kos writer Hunter pointed out earlier today, these “monuments” are and have always been symbols of white supremacist anxiety and oppression. CNN explains which “monuments” will be directly affected by this announcement.

Campaign Action

The statues of John Hunt Morgan and John C. Breckinridge are on the grounds of Lexington's former courthouse, which is set to become a visitor's center.

John Hunt Morgan served in the Mexican-American war, and fought for the Confederacy until his death in 1864. John C Breckinridge, who was the 14th Vice President of the US, owned slaves.

Getting rid of these monuments to hatred and pathetic impotence are important symbolic gestures and are long overdue. And while our orange-supremacist in chief might want to speak out of both sides of his useless face, the fact remains that only the symbols of the Confederacy, not black churches nor Jewish grave sites, symbolize oppression, division, and hatred of other people. Just so that everyone is clear here and no one is offended, what I’m saying is that your statues of Confederate “heroes” are bogus, and represent weak, hateful and ignorant men whose deeds and ideas need to disappear into history for the world to become a better place.

Watch Mayor Jim Gray’s statement below.

YouTube Video

Lexington, KY mayor announces all Confederate statues are coming down because of Charlottesville

Comments are closed on this story.