The statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson in downtown Charlottesville was splattered with white paint sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning.
In addition to the paint, some of the “City Personnel Only No Trespassing” signs were covered with papers that say “Public Property.”
The Jackson statue, considered by art experts to be one of the top three equestrian statues in the world, and another of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee have been vandalized multiple times over the last few years.
According to the city, Parks and Recreation staff will not be removing the paint on the Jackson statue until Tuesday. The Independence Day holiday officially is being observed Monday.
After voting to remove the Confederate statues last month, Charlottesville City Council is scheduled to hold a special meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday to vote on appropriating $1 million for removal, storage and/or covering of the Lee and Jackson statues, as well as one of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and Shoshone interpreter Sacagawea.
The council approved a resolution to remove the statue of Lewis, Clark and Sacagawea in late 2019.
Councilors have not yet determined where any of the status will go.
A staff report says the statutes of Lee and Jackson will not be removed, covered or contextualized until a 30-day offering period has expired. The request for statements of interest for the statues closes at 12 a.m. Thursday, according to the statements of interest document. At least three entities have expressed interest in the statues so far.
“The attached appropriation resolution is necessary, in order to assure that funds are available to the city manager commencing in early July, to cover the costs associated with carrying out actions previously authorized by City Council, including removal, in the event that the cost of removal is not anticipated to be covered by any third party,” the report says.
The report notes that none of the statues can be conveyed to any third party without council approval.
The $1 million would come from the city’s Capital Improvement Program Contingency Fund.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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