“A Confederate monument that helped spark a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been hoisted off its stone pedestal. Work to remove the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee began early Saturday morning. Crews were also expected to take down a second Confederate monument,” reports the AP.

“Spectators by the dozens lined the blocks surrounding the park, and a cheer went up as the statue lifted off the pedestal. There was a visible police presence, with streets blocked off to vehicular traffic by fencing and heavy trucks. Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker gave a speech in front of reporters and observers as the crane neared the monument. “Taking down this statue is one small step closer to the goal of helping Charlottesville, Virginia, and America, grapple with the sin of being willing to destroy Black people for economic gain,” Walker said.”

A proposal to remove the statue several years ago led to a violent “Unite the Right” protest by Trump supporters who felt that the statue’s removal constituted a huge insult to white supremacy. GOP support for keeping these kinds of statues is largely seen as a racist dog-whistle to Southern whites who think they can “Make America Great Again” by returning the country to the days when a gang of white men could lynch a black man or gang-rape a black teenage girl and the local sheriff would refuse to arrest anyone, insisting “Aw hell they’s a bunch o’ good ol’ boys. They ain’t mean to hurt nobody.”