Virginia Governor Northam to order removal of Richmond's Robert E. Lee statue

Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to announce Thursday the imminent removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that sits on Richmond's Monument Avenue, according to an administration official.

Northam will order the removal of the statue from its stone pedestal. The statue will be removed and stored while the administration makes a decision about its ultimate fate, with public input.

Northam will make the announcement during a press conference at 11 a.m. on Thursday. The decision was first reported by the Associated Press.

Northam's call for the statue's removal comes amid turmoil over systemic racism and police brutality across the country, which has brought violent and peaceful protests to Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy.

Removal of the statue, which is the only one on Monument Avenue controlled by the state, has weighed on Northam since the start of his administration. In the aftermath of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville in 2017, during his campaign for governor, Northam said Confederate statues "should be taken down and moved into museums."

[link to www.richmond.com (secure)]