Georgia students sue over blocked protest against rebel flag
Several Black students who were suspended for trying to protest Confederate flag displays at their school in Georgia have filed a federal lawsuit against their school district and its board members, accusing them of allowing an extensive pattern of racism including “overt bigotry and animosity by some white students and teachers against African American students.” The students, joined by their mothers as plaintiffs, already made news when their protest at Coosa High School was stifled last fall. Now, in their lawsuit filed Tuesday against the Floyd County school district and its board members, they allege an extensive pattern of racism, including white students reenacting the murder of George Floyd and posting it on social media, and a student who carried what appeared to be a whip and told a Black student “we used to whip you."
news.yahoo.comTrump cancels event planned for anniversary of Jan. 6 Capitol riot
Tear gas is released into a crowd of protesters, with one wielding a Confederate battle flag that reads "Come and Take It," during clashes with Capitol police at a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021. Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday canceled an event billed as a press conference that was set to be held on the first anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump had reportedly planned to defend the rioters during that event, which was going to be held at his golf club Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
cnbc.comCrews may have found 1887 time capsule in Lee statue base
Crews working to remove the pedestal where a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee towered over Richmond for more than a century believe they've found a time capsule that was buried there in 1887. The massive bronze equestrian statue of Lee, erected in 1890, was taken down in September, more than a year after Gov. Ralph Northam ordered its removal after protests over racism and police brutality erupted across the country following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The day after the statue was removed, work crews spent more than 12 hours searching for the time capsule in the 40-foot (12-meter) tall pedestal, but were unable to locate it.
news.yahoo.comSouthwest Virginia museum protesting plan to melt down Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee statue
Two unsuccessful bidders for the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that drew violent protesters to Charlottesville have filed a letter protesting the city's process to get rid of the statue, which ended last week in the acceptance of a proposal to melt it down and turn it into new art.
Governor Northam announces removal of Lee statue pedestal, transfer land to City
Sunday, Governor Ralph Northam announced the removal of the Robert E. Lee monument pedestal that displayed the Confederate General. This is part of an agreement reached with the City of Richmond to transfer the state-owned land to the City.
Montgomery faces fine lawsuit for dropping Confederate name
Alabama's capital city last month removed the Confederate president's name from an avenue and renamed it after a lawyer known for his work during the civil rights movement. Now the state attorney general says the city must pay a fine or face a lawsuit for violating a state law protecting Confederate monuments and other longstanding memorials. Montgomery last month changed the name of Jeff Davis Avenue to Fred D. Gray Avenue.
news.yahoo.comOnly 1 bidder to run Georgia's Confederate-themed park
The only bidder for management of Georgia's Confederate-themed, state-owned Stone Mountain Park is a new firm created by an official of the company that’s pulling out, the park's governing board said Monday. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association board voted Monday to choose Thrive Attractions Management LLC as the finalist to run the park near Atlanta, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Management companies have little, if any, direct control over Confederate imagery at Stone Mountain Park, and state law bars any change to the enormous mountainside carving of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.
news.yahoo.comRemoved Robert E. Lee statue now on display at Texas resort
A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that the city of Dallas removed from a park and later sold in an online auction is now on display at a golf resort in West Texas. The bronze sculpture, which was removed from the Dallas park in September 2017, is now at the Lajitas Golf Resort in Terlingua, Texas, the Houston Chronicle reported.
news.yahoo.comBlack students in Georgia were suspended for planning a protest after white students waved a Confederate flag and allegedly used racial slurs
One student said the school banned LGBTQ+ flags and "Black Lives Matter" clothing but said students weren't punished for waving the Confederate flag.
news.yahoo.comBlack students suspended after protesting white students waving Confederate flag
A group of Black students in Rome, Georgia, are alleging racial discrimination after several of them were suspended for planning […] The post Black students suspended after protesting white students waving Confederate flag appeared first on TheGrio.
news.yahoo.comCourt says city can ban Confederate flag in veterans parade
A Georgia city did not violate the constitutional rights of a Sons of Confederate Veterans group when it banned the Confederate battle flag from its annual parade honoring veterans of American wars, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. Richard Leake and Michael Dean sued Alpharetta, an Atlanta suburb, in August 2019 after city officials said the Sons of Confederate Veterans could participate in the annual Old Soldiers Day Parade but could not display the battle flag.
news.yahoo.comGeneral Robert E. Lee statue removal date set for September 8, Virginia governor says
Preparations for the statue's removal will begin 6 p.m. Tuesday when crews will install protective fencing. Once the statue is hoisted off the pedestal, it's expected to be cut into two pieces for transport.
cbsnews.comVirginia Supreme Court rules state can remove Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond
The Virginia Supreme Court of Virginia ruled Thursday that the state can take down an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that has towered over a traffic island in Richmond for more than a century and has become a symbol of racial injustice.
Hit ’em where it hurts – how economic threats are a potent tool for changing people's minds about the Confederate flag
The Mississippi state flag, with a representation of the Confederate battle flag, is raised one last time over the state Capitol building on July 1, 2020. AP Photo/Rogelio V. SolisActivists nationwide have resumed demanding the removal of statues and symbols that are considered racially offensive – such as of slave owners, Confederate leaders and the Confederate flag. The requests – and related boycotts and threats of other economic protests – have been part of the national controversy about rac
news.yahoo.comRockbridge County town looking to acquire Charlottesville’s Confederate statues
At least 13 organizations and one municipality have expressed interest in acquiring two statues of Confederate generals removed from downtown Charlottesville parks, including one monument that was the focus of a violent white nationalist rally in 2017, according to city documents.
Arizona GOP wants felony for protesters who damage statues
Republicans in the Arizona Legislature are reacting to last year's wave of damage to Confederate monuments by civil rights protesters here and across the nation by working to make it a felony to damage or destroy any public or private monument or statue. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)PHOENIX – Republicans in the Arizona Legislature are reacting to last year's wave of damage to Confederate monuments by civil rights protesters here and across the nation by working to make it a felony to damage or destroy any public or private monument or statue. Rep. John Kavanagh supported his proposal at a Senate committee hearing Thursday by saying public monuments are a statement by the community that demand more protection. The proposal adds defacing a monument or statue to existing law that makes it a aggravated felony offense to deface a cemetery headstone or church. Scores of Confederate statues, monuments or markers were removed from public land across the country after Floyd’s death.
What’s News Today: Special election, tax rate hearings
The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing this afternoon about moving a Confederate monument. The public hearing is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing about tax rates for the next fiscal year. The board will also hold a public hearing about incorporating the amended Oak Grove Plan into the county’s Comprehensive Plan. AdThe Salem School Board could adopt the budget for the next fiscal year.
Public hearing set to decide fate of Botetourt County Confederate monument
FINCASTLE, Va. – Botetourt County leaders are holding a public hearing Tuesday to decide the fate of a Confederate monument. The monument currently sits outside the county courthouse in Fincastle. While it will likely be relocated a few hundred yards away, within Courthouse Square, before any move can happen, board members need to hear from the public. “It’s important to get a broad perspective from the people of Botetourt County,” said Clinton. If the board votes to move the monument, there’s a 30-day waiting period to hear offers from museums or historical societies.
$200,000 worth of damage done to presidents, Confederate graves at Virginia cemetery
RICHMOND, Va. – Gravestones and memorials were toppled and spray-painted at a cemetery in Virginia that holds the graves of two U.S. presidents as well as Confederate soldiers and generals. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that $200,000 worth of damage was done Saturday at the Hollywood Cemetery. More than 18,000 Confederate soldiers and generals are buried there. AdThe damage was done in the Presidents Circle section of the cemetery. That’s where U.S. presidents James Monroe and John Tyler are buried.
Roanoke city leaders asked for suggestions to rename Lee Plaza
ROANOKE, VA. – The Confederate memorial in downtown Roanoke was removed last summer and now city leaders are working on renaming the plaza where it stood. On Thursday night, the public got to weigh in on what they think Lee Plaza, named after the Confederate General, should be called. A few others liked something more generic such as Patriots Plaza or Freedom Plaza. Roanoke’s Democratic city council has looked unfavorable on Lee Plaza and the memorial over the last few years. A local cemetery took possession of the Confederate memorial and intends to put it on display with appropriate context.
Attorney General asks Supreme Court to reject appeal in Lee statue case
FILE - This June 27, 2017, file photo, shows the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that stands in the middle of a traffic circle on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. A lawsuit seeking to prevent Virginia Gov. Ralph Northams administration from removing an enormous statue of Gen. Lee can proceed, a judge ruled Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, clearing the way for a trial in the fall. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Mark Herring has asked the Supreme Court of Virginia to reject an appeal from a group of Richmond residents seeking to stop the governor from removing an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. In a brief filed Wednesday afternoon, Herring urged the court to reject the plaintiffs’ petition for an appeal outright or expedite the proceedings if the court decides to hear the case. A circuit court judge sided with the state after a trial in October.
Supervisors accept recommendation to move Botetourt County’s Confederate monument
FINCASTLE, Va. – The plan to move a Confederate monument in Botetourt County is moving forward. The monument, which is currently in front of the Botetourt County Courthouse, will likely be moved not too far away. On Tuesday, the county’s board of supervisors unanimously accepted a committee’s recommendation to move it a few hundred yards away from its current location to the Botetourt County History Museum and add a plaque to provide historical context. Before any move can happen a public hearing will need to take place. That hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Fencing installed around Lee statue in Richmond
FILE - In this July 31, 2017, file photo, the sun sets behind the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. The poll conducted this month by Hampton University and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% support removal of Confederate statues and 42% oppose removal. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)RICHMOND, Va. – A state agency announced Monday that it was installing fencing around an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond that Gov. “As we await the resolution of legal challenges that have delayed the statue’s removal, DGS wants to be prepared to act quickly upon a final determination. The Lee statue is among the largest Confederate tributes in the United States.
Years of white supremacy threats culminated in Capitol riots
Both within and outside the walls of the Capitol, banners and symbols of white supremacy and anti-government extremism were displayed as an insurrectionist mob swarmed the U.S. Capitol. “These displays of white supremacy are not new,” said Lecia Brooks, chief of staff of the Southern Poverty Law Center. While not all the anti-government groups were explicitly white supremacist, Tuchman said many support white supremacist beliefs. “This is their new ‘Lost Cause' and a continuation of the original ‘Lost Cause,'” she said. Brooks said she worries the rampage at the Capitol and proliferation of white supremacist symbols will encourage similar actions at state capitals.