A Charlottesville, Va., judge ordered the city Tuesday to uncover its two Confederate statues.
Richard E. Moore, judge for the Charlottesville Circuit Court denied the city’s request to keep its Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson covered in black curtains until a year after the death of Heather Heyer, slain at the August “Unite the Right” rally, reported The Washington Post.
I applaud the decision of Judge Moore. I hope that his decision withstands appellate scrutiny.
As a graduate of The University of Virginia, I am very familiar with the City of Charlottesville.
The statues that are the subject of this discussion are but two of several massive, historical and artistically beautiful works of sculpture that grace the City of Charlottesville, Virginia throughout its boundaries. They all were but some of the many gifts made to both the City of Charlottesville and to The University of Virginia by Paul G. McIntire in the early decades of the Twentieth Century. They were made by Mr. McIntire in response to ‘the city beautiful’ movement of that period.
Mr. McIntire was a Charlottesville native who became an immensely successful and wealthy New York City investment banker and later philanthropist. He was born in 1860 and he died in 1952. He is buried in Charlottesville.
The gifts that Mr. McIntire bestowed upon both the City of Charlottesville and The University of Virginia are truly extraordinary and remarkable, and I am astounded that there are people today who want the City of Charlottesville to be rid of them.
Thank you Judge Moore for not giving in to those who claim to have empathy but only want to divide the people and create more hate than they claim they are removing in this country. It’s ironic that “these statues”, are causing so much rascist division, and must come down, yet muslims and illegal immigrants who have no love or loyalty to the U.S.are welcomed into the country with opened arms. Yeah that makes sense.