Richmond, Va. – A letter was sent to the Virginia Attorney General’s office demanding Governor Ralph Northam protect the Robert E. Lee monument from a “rumor” that an 18-wheeler is coming to tear it down.
According to Attorney General Mark Herring’s office, the letter claims “a rumor is circulating in Richmond that an 18-wheel truck is coming to the Lee Monument for the purpose of pulling it down,” and demanding that the Governor “call out the state police and other such force as is necessary to protect that monument.”
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The letter was sent by the attorney of a man who filed a lawsuit over the planned removal of the statue.
Herring also filed a motion requesting any further proceedings on the Lee statue be conducted on the record, with at least twelve hours of notice, and with the option of having the court reporter present.
The motion states that “Symbols matter, and the Virginia of today can no longer honor a racist system that enslaved millions of people. Installing a massive monument to the Lost Cause was wrong in 1890 and demanding that it stay up (much less until the end of time) is wrong now.”
“This comes after two hearings—the initial temporary restraining order hearing and a second unannounced hearing by phone in which the plaintiffs asked to extend the injunction—that were conducted without notice to the defendants, the public, or the media, and without an opportunity to create a record of what was said and done,” said Herring’s office in a release.
The plaintiff also filed a motion asking the judge to enter a permanent injunction or extend the existing injunction. The hearing will be held on this motion on Thursday, June 18 at 10 a.m.