White Supremacists, neo-Nazis, and other fringe white nationalist groups descended on Charlottesville, Virginia this weekend, and brought hatred, fear, and violence with them. The supposed reason for their “Unite the Right” rally was to preserve a public statue of Confederate general and noted racist Robert E. Lee. Their plan to preserve statues of “heroes” of the Confederacy is backfiring, as city leaders in other parts of the country are stepping in to remove more of these statues. One such leader is Lexington, Kentucky mayor Jim Gray, who accelerated an announcement to remove two Confederate statues outside the historic Lexington Courthouse. Gray did this in direct response to the violence in Charlottesville.
Reaching out on Twitter, Gray announced the following:
Today's events in Virginia remind us that we must bring our country together by condemning violence, white supremacists and Nazi hate groups
— Mayor Jim Gray (@JimGrayLexKY) August 12, 2017
I am taking action to relocate the Confederate statues. We have thoroughly examined this issue, and heard from many of our citizens.
— Mayor Jim Gray (@JimGrayLexKY) August 12, 2017
The tragic events in Charlottesville today have accelerated the announcement I intended to make next week.
— Mayor Jim Gray (@JimGrayLexKY) August 12, 2017
Tuesday I will ask Council to support Lexington’s petition to the Ky Military Heritage Commission, a required next step. Details to come.
— Mayor Jim Gray (@JimGrayLexKY) August 12, 2017
Lexington's Confederate statues of Breckinridge & Hunt Morgan located at our Historic Courthouse, which will soon be our new visitors center
— Mayor Jim Gray (@JimGrayLexKY) August 12, 2017
Gray’s announcement begins by condemning the groups that our President, Donald Trump, refuses to. It reads:
“Today’s events in Virginia remind us that we must bring our country together by condemning violence, white supremacists and Nazi hate groups.”
He then gets to the part that is sure to rile up racists like David Duke and Richard Spencer:
“I am taking action to relocate the Confederate statues. We have thoroughly examined this issue, and heard from many of our citizens. … The tragic events in Charlottesville today have accelerated the announcement I intended to make next week. … Tuesday I will ask Council to support Lexington’s petition to the Ky Military Heritage Commission, a required next step. Details to come. … Lexington’s Confederate statues of Breckinridge & Hunt Morgan located at our Historic Courthouse, which will soon be our new visitors center.”
Breckinridge refers to John C. Breckinridge, who served as the Confederate Secretary of War during the Civil War. John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general.
Surprise! Most government officials do not want torch-wielding mobs driving cars through groups of protesters, which is exactly some of the things the white nationalists in Charlottesville did. Watch a report on the Virginia violence below, and hope that more mayors and governors take a stand against racism, like Jim Gray.
Featured image via Wikimedia Commons – Amy Wallot / CC BY-SA 4.0.
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