A 131-year-old Robert E. Lee memorial statue in Virginia’s capital has been removed after the Supreme Court cleared the path for its removal.
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Crews harnessed the 12-ton statue and removed it from its 40-foot pedestal eliciting cheers from the crowd of about 200 people. Some wore Black Lives Matter shirts and chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “Hey hey hey, goodbye.” State Sens. Jennifer McClellan and Louise Lucas waved and hugged bystanders as the statue was hoisted from its pedestal.

“This was a long time coming, part of the healing process so Virginia can move forward and be a welcoming state with inclusiveness and diversity,” said Gov. Ralph Northam, who attended the removal. The Democrat said it represents “more than 400 years of history that we should not be proud of,” and congratulated Virginians for supporting its removal.

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