RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Cheers reigned Wednesday as the Stonewall Jackson statue on Monument Avenue was removed from its pedestal. But not everyone is happy with its evacuation.
On the same day another monument in Richmond, the Matthew Fontaine Maury on Monument Avenue, was taken down, 8News asked a Sons of Confederate Veterans spokesperson about their thoughts on the ongoing removal process.
“What a sad day it was for America. And that the general consensus is these are evil people,” said Andrew Morehead.
Morehead told 8News he blames leaders at both the state and local levels for the potential impact of removing the Jackson Monument from its base Wednesday. He said he believes the moment robbed Richmond of one of its most valuable resources.
“The economical potential going into the future is immeasurable,” he said.
8News captured video of one man rushing up to the Stonewall Jackson statue as crews prepped for removal. Visibly upset, the unidentified man was swarmed by onlookers as he protested. Morehead told 8News the Sons of Confederate Veterans group has been hesitant to protest publicly due to safety concerns for all involved.
Man places himself in front of Stonewall Jackson Monument
“We could try to do something like that,” he said, “but we realize in all likelihood it would get very violent from either outside forces on the left or outside forces from the far right.”
While the group remains upset that Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced the decision to remove close to a dozen statues in the city, Morehead says the Virginia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans will work towards obtaining private land to erect monuments.
