‘Trash bags’ can stay: Statue lawsuit moves forward

In the case of whether the city’s longstanding General Robert E. Lee statue should remain on its feet, a judge ruled October 4 that a lawsuit protecting it can go forward, and the black shrouds temporarily draped over Lee and his buddy, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, can also stay. In Charlottesville Circuit Court, S. Braxton Puryear—one […]

Statues shrouded: Black plastic covers Lee and Jackson

In fewer than 48 hours after City Council unanimously passed a resolution to cover statues of generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, the black tarps went up over the monuments this afternoon to commemorate the city’s mourning over the deaths following a hate-filled rally August 12. The draping went up without public notice […]

United we stand: Charlottesville says no to hate

It was the day that kept getting worse. The weekend from hell. Like many of you, C-VILLE Weekly is still processing Saturday’s violation from ill-intentioned visitors with antiquated notions who now believe it’s okay to say in broad daylight what they’ve only uttered in the nether regions of the internet. The Unite the Right rally […]

Power players: the ones making the biggest impact

It’s the time of year C-VILLE editorial staffers dread most: landing on the final names for our Power Issue, followed by the inevitable complaints that the list contains a bunch of white men. Sure, there are powerful women and people of color in Charlottesville. But when it comes down to it, it’s still mostly white […]

Tactical change: Not your grandpa’s protest

In images from the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, African-Americans in their Sunday best peacefully protested, and when violence occurred, it came from police or from virulent racists. Those are not the optics of today’s demonstrations. Instead, protesters knock cell phones out of people’s hands, blast them with bullhorns, block filming with […]

Statue standoff: Group suggests park names

While a court injunction currently prevents the statue of Robert E. Lee from being moved, the city is moving full speed ahead in an effort to change the names of local parks named for Confederate heroes. After fielding suggestions from almost all committee members, the Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee decided on four names each for both […]

Blue Ribbon commissioners identified

Nine members appointed to serve on Mayor Mike Signer’s Blue Ribbon Commission—created to make a recommendation to City Council on how to treat race, memorials and public spaces after a major controversy regarding the General Robert E. Lee statue in Lee Park—now have about half a year and $10,000 to make it happen. “I think […]

Council okays commission on Lee et al.

City Council unanimously approved a Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces May 2 after a Charlottesville High School student presented a petition to remove the statue of General Robert E. Lee and rename Lee Park in March. The nine-member commission will look not only at Confederate monuments like Lee and Stonewall Jackson, […]

Can the statue be moved? Not just a local issue

The Charlottesville park bounded by Jefferson, North First, Market and North Second streets isn’t the only Lee Park under heavy scrutiny. Last July, a group of folks in Dallas led a demonstration at Oak Lawn’s Lee Park to demand that a General Robert E. Lee statue be removed and the park renamed. Activists felt called […]