The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was at the center of the deadly 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, was secretly melted down last week to turn it into a more inclusive work of art.
Lee’s bronze equestrian statue, which featured prominently at the 2017 Unite the Right rally, was cremated in a 2,250-degree oven on Saturday, according to the Washington Post.
It was cut into nine pieces, weighed about 6,000 pounds and required a forklift to move it.
It was cast and then molded into a brick shape.
The controversial statue was removed from its spot in 2021 and placed in a bus station until it was delivered to the Jefferson School’s African American Heritage Center, which had to move the artwork to several locations for safety reasons.
A lawsuit arose six years ago prohibiting the museum from melting the statue.
A judge later dismissed the case and the 30-day deadline for an appeal expired Thursday, the Washington Post reported.
The Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville was cremated in a 2,250-degree oven on Saturday. AFP via Getty Images
The violent 2017 demonstration killed Heather Heyer, 32, and injured 35 others after a car plowed into a group of counterprotesters.
The driver, who crashed into two other cars, was going about 40 mph when he purposely plowed into the crowd.
Among those in attendance were members of the KKK, as well as supporters of the far-right and white nationalists.
Hundreds of counterprotesters also attended.
Protesters threw punches, threw plastic bottles and sprayed chemical irritants at each other.
It was cut into nine pieces and weighed about 6,000 pounds of bronze, requiring a forklift to move it. AFP via Getty Images
But the Charlottesville Black History Museum moved forward with plans to melt the metal at an out-of-state foundry last week, and there are no plans to transform the metal into cannons, as some Confederate groups have proposed.
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Andrea Douglas and Jalane Schmidt, who run Swords into Plowshares, plan to take the bronze and turn it into something that city residents can think of.
They have already begun receiving ideas from residents, the Washington Post said.
Schmidt was glad to see Lee go and said the statue was like “if there’s a mad dog in the neighborhood that’s been hurting people and it needs to be put down.”
However, one of the smelters, who was not named, said he hopes the smelter does not “convey a message of hate against hate.”
The group had a hard time finding someone who could melt the metal, and the foundry they used is owned by a black man.
“The risk is being targeted by hateful people, having my business damaged, receiving threats to family and friends, [but] “When you are approached with such honor, especially to destroy hate, you have to do it,” the owner told the outlet.
Lee was a Civil War general who led the Army of Northern Virginia, one of the most successful Confederate forces.
He would eventually lead all Confederate forces.
Despite losing the war, he became a symbol of the American South.
Other Confederate statues have also disappeared, including in New York City and at West Point.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn