I don't believe removing the Confederate stautes is the right thing to do.  They do need protection.  The people vandalising them are criminals and should be punished.  The answer is not giving them their way by removing them.  Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy.  The whole state is rich in history.  Most of our tourism is due to our history.  Recent steps have brought more black history to light.  The whole story needs to be told, not just the parts we like or choose.  If the statues are removed, what would be next?  Rename all schools, buildings, parks and streets?  I believe the people of Virginia should vote on this, not just a handful of city council members.

The staues on the monument have been their since the civil war, why all the talk now to remove them.  I do not see the point.  All the years have passed and you have a black mayor of richmond that is calling the statues racist.!!!   I do not get it. The monuments date back 1800, might be further than that.

Not only that if you are going to remove the statues then have a state vote and not just city council votes.  I'am born in richmond va I'am a virginian I have seen the statues since I was 6 yrs old and I'am 61 yrs old now. I have family in Virginia my parents is from louisa VA to. Right now I'am not in Va but I have my say in the monuments because my roots are in VA to.

I do not see were the lee monument is breaking any laws. the only laws broken are the left wing crazies vandalizing the monument.  You better take a step back and leave history as it is. 

As a teacher, I am deeply opposed to the removal of any historical monument. As a supporter of the constitution, I believe that any new rules to try an prohibit constitutional rights is wrong.  If a person has a valid Virginia Concealed Weapon Permit, and they are in Richmond and get caught up in something on Monument Ave,will they now become a criminal?   

Work with local historical groups in protecting the monuments.  Many of these groups are interested in preserving the monumnets and keeping them safe from harm,  

Virginia is a right to carry state I trust that you would not try and restrict any persons rights. 

This monument is state property and such, deserves the protection due to any state facility. I recommend that the facility be closed to the public from dusk to dawn. There should be provisions for special events to be held between dusk and dawn. The monument needs to have an effective yet visually appealing fence around it. CPTED guidelines should be followed when designing the security features including analytic CCTV that notifies the Capitol Police of activity as well as 24/7 monitoring. I also fully support the requirement for protests to be permitted events that require positive identification of the permit organizers.

I understand that people are esthetically attached to the grand and attractive statues along Monument Avenue. Why not remove the riders and leave the horses in the equestrian statues?  Evidently these statues were made in separate pieces. Obviously, a plaque would amend the info on the plinths.

I appreciate the work that the commission studying the monuments completed. The time has long come to acknowledge the pain and suffering created by the civil war. I think a combined approach would be best. Add context (clear and prominent plaques explaining when and why these monuments were erected) to any monuments that stay. Some should be moved to their graves or to museums. Some should be replaced so that the entire Monument Ave illustrates the range of human experience and tell the whole story. It also must be stated that the US is the country and the US flag is the flag of both the North and South. The rebel flag should only hang in museums. I don’t think the idea of removing the losing generals but leaving the horses is a bad idea either. 

Keep the statues. You can't change history by erasing it's monuments.

I don't think the line banning beverages of any kind is necessary. Lots of folks carry water around when they're walking. That line just sets them up for a violation if they happen to step onto the grass around Lee. 

And the prohibition of signs being attached to the monument would go directly against the idea of adding signs for context, wouldn't it?

But really, history alone is not a reason to continue to have a statue to someone who fought against the United States in the name of "states' rights" in order to uphold the idea of owning other people. How does this reflect our values as a city? 

I would like to address and opposed the 2 provisions below:

6. No persons shall climb on the statue itself. This provision also applies to the steps of the statue.

Understand that we don't want people climbing on the statue, but including the steps seems ridiculous.  The steps were designed so that people would use the statute as a place to sit and relax.  Neighborhood children, including mine, love going up and down those steps.  Students and others enjoy reading and relaxing there.  Open space in urban areas is limited and to say that people can't sit on the steps doesn't make much sense.  Post signs that prohibit climbing above the steps / platform, but don't prohibit sitting on the steps. 

3. Animals, except service animals that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.    Perhaps this means only that dogs aren't to be on the statue -- but to me this implies that the public would not be able to walk their dogs in the grass around the statue.  Again, limited open space for people and their pets.  As long as the dogs are properly leashed and are picking up after their animals, why would this need to be prohibited?

Sledding & Skateboarding?  If you're including a list of things that should be prohibited, I'd say that sledding / sliding down the steps during snow events and skateboarding should probably be included.  Both of these activities could result in injuries and/or damage to the monument steps, etc.   

Robert E. Lee himself didn't want to see these kind of monuments in place.  Monument Avenue can be an Avenue of Monuments without the current statues in place.  These statues are a reminder of slavery and white supremacy that don't allow Richmond to move forward from its past.  They were put in place well after the Civil war and continue to present as something to be admired and revered.  Meanwhile, the TRUE HISTORICAL elements of slavery ROT in Shockoe Bottom.  Richmond has a real opportunity to begin the healing process...Richmond can lead the way instead of being STUCK IN THE PAST!  Put new monuments in place...send these to the museum of the Confederacy where they belong...not on a public Avenue.

Lee didn't want these monuments erected and i would like them removed. As a taxpayer i resent the taxpayer $ used to maintain and protect them. Move them to the confederate cemetery or a museum. Agree that weaponry should be banned.

I May not have read the proposed rules thoroughly, but I didn’t see any provision for the permitted groups being financially responsible for the cost to the city for security and clean up. Also is there any possibility of limiting permitting only to groups who reside in the state of Virginia? Or asking for city incurred costs up front, prior to the group gathering?   Thank you!    over this text and enter your comments here. You are limited to approximately 3000 words.

500 participants in an approximately 25,000 square foot area is 1 person per 50 square feet, or one fifth of what is normally considered a "loose" crowd.  This seems to be an unreasable restriction on the maximum number of participants.

Having the partiipant threshold for requiring a permit at 10 persons seems to be so low as to prohibit bona fide activities which are not making a social statement or creating a risk to the public, and so low as to lead to ambiguity regarding what constitutes an individual event/gathering. This low number might also create ambiguity in how citizens not participating in a gathering / event might be allowed to enjoy the area while an event, consisting of a small number of people (say 12, for example), is taking place.

I think it is unreasonable to prohibit individuals from enjoying the monument area at night.  It is an aesthetically pleasing place at night for walking and contemplation.

I think that the public should be allowed access to the stairs for their peaceful, legal, enjoyment (e.g., sitting, picnicing, using as a pedestal to view the srrounding area, etc.).

These monuments are a very expensive endeavor that benefit noone and are contextually lost. Being in the middle of a city and protected means that you're making the decision on behalf of a community that likely wants it gone -- it's seen as a celebration of the actions Gen. Lee did against the United States. I find that it's not far from the Confederate Museum and its also not far from the Confederate Graveyard. It'd be much more contextually appropriate nearer to either and it can be donated in good will toward those Confederate flaggers or whoever still really appreciates the Confederate rebellion. I would rather not have my tax money go towards continually cleaning and securing something so divisive to the community that actually lives IN Richmond - not Henrico or Mechanicsville. 

I hope everyone here realizes that the people on those horses lost the war, that the statues were erected by a revanchist and explicitly racist political motivations over a generation after the war they participated in, and that it's very rare for the losing side to have any monuments intact. It's far more egregious that we're writing legal protections for the monuments to a slave power.

When I first moved to Richmond from California, I had no idea Monoument Ave existed.  I was driving around and stumbled on it and was horrified.  The statues are so extremely large and celebrating something so absolutely awful.  They're celebrating traitors to the United States of America.  Those monuments were specifically installed to initimidate the black population and celebrate white supremacy.  Replace them with monuments to things and people that should be revered.  Until you remove those statues, people will continue to refer to 'Monument Ave' as 'Racist Ave'.

It is long since past the time for these statues to go away from Monument Avenue - to a museum site or the scrap heap, whatever is least expensive.  Why continue to venerate these images of White Supremacy?  They are a visual image of structural racism. They will continue to attract grafitti artists and protesters as long as they stand.  Anywhere on Monument Avenue or anywhere else in a public space, our First Amendament right to protest should not be restricted by permits, or time of day.

We are wasting money to prop up some crusty old dudes who murdered for the right to own people just people some racist weirdos want to dream about doing it now. The Confederates are dead and ought to stay that way if they know what’s good for them.

Get rid of the Confederate statues. It will happen in due time, why not jump start the progress. Make the a mini park, but leave room for a statue later on to someone who is truly deserving. 

A lot of our neighbors complain that they won't recoup their property values if the momuments get dug up.

I say, them.

For anyone disengious enough to defend "the history" behind these statues, Virginia is a 400 year old colonial feud over what amounts to patio furniture, fences, tacky Christmas ornamental displays and black people's lives. Liquidate the monuments and never think about helping the tiest people in Richmond recoup financially. The monuments are a serious public nuisance and brought out several neo-Confederate militias last August.

I pray for abject misery to come across any homeowner who stands in the way of these monuments getting uprooted. 

Curiously, most of the comments are about whether or not to keep the monuments erected to glorify the Lost Cause. That's a separate issue. I am in favor of regulations to protect human beings when they are rallying or protesting around this very divisive monument. So NO weapons of any sort. NO masks to hide one's identity, regardless of one's political affiliation. I agree that dusk to dawn is a bit too limiting for the hours people can be present there, and for heaven's sake children like to climb those steps. Are not the state capitol steps free for anyone to climb or descend? There is nothing sacrosanct about those steps. During hotter days one might even catch a little breeze with the elevation!

As you know, on January 18, 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia (“ACLU-VA”) submitted comments on the NOIRA and Emergency Regulations for Public Use of the Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond, VA (1 VAC 30-150) (Emergency Regulations) that outlined specific concerns about the Emergency Regulations based on the legal analysis and recommendations set out in the white paper we published titled Permitting Demonstrations – Guiding Principles. We enclosed the white paper with our comments and incorporated it by reference.  
 
We have now reviewed the Proposed Regulations for Public Use of the Robert E. Lee Monument in Richmond, VA (1 VAC 30-150) (Proposed Regulations) and were disappointed to find that none of the constitutional concerns we expressed about the Emergency Regulations have been addressed or corrected. 
 
Our analysis of the validity of any regulation of public use of the state-owned Lee Monument grounds is based on the fact that the Lee Monument grounds are and have been a traditional public forum. Lee Monument has always been used as a public park and a public gathering space which has routinely held large events including protests, rallies, Easter Parades, and live music events. Moreover, the Fourth Circuit has ruled that even mere median strips are in fact traditional public forums. The U.S. Supreme Court has said that “the nature of a place, the pattern of its normal activities, dictate the kinds of regulations of time, place, and manner that are reasonable.” Because it includes a public walkway and grassy area and has been used traditionally as a public park, the Lee Monument grounds are, in fact and law, a public forum and should be regulated as such. 

1 VAC 30-150-30(F) violates the constitutional requirement that regulation of speech be based on content neutral rules. Accordingly, it does not align with several of the guiding principles set forth in our white paper: Guiding Principle 1: No permitting decisions will be made based on the content of the speech (including anticipated audience reaction to the content of the speech) or the identity of the speaker. Guiding Principle 5: Permit regulations will specify that all permit applications will be granted unless specific, content-neutral, and narrowly defined exceptions apply. Guiding Principle 10: Any other restrictions on free speech will be reasonable, content-neutral, and narrowly tailored to legitimate government interests, and will allow ample alternative means of communication. 
 
1 VAC 30-150-30(F) reads in relevant part: “Certain portions… may not apply to established events that have been approved for more than three consecutive years by the Department of General Services and the City of Richmond permitting processes prior to the enactment of this regulation.” Allowing a “grandfather clause” for all “established” annual events on Monument Avenue, such as the Easter Parade, constitutes content discrimination, where the government favors certain private actors over others. The ACLU of Virginia recommends removing the “grandfather clause” from the Proposed Regulation or amending the provisions included in the final rules so that they are equally applicable to all based on content-neutral factors. 
 
1 VAC 30-150-20(2) and 1 VAC 30-150-40(A) violate the constitutional requirement that restrictions on speech be narrowly tailored and, accordingly, that permits be required only when necessary to serve a legitimate government interest and be reasonable time, place, manner restrictions. Accordingly, our Guiding Principle 2 reads as follows: No permits will be required for individuals or small groups (under 20 people) or for spontaneous demonstrations held in response to current events. 
 
Requiring a permit for an event that is expected to draw as few as ten (10) people is not reasonable. The space will and has easily accommodated larger groups without causing a disruption to pedestrian or vehicular traffic. In fact, the Proposed Regulations acknowledge that the space can accommodate up to 500 people if permitted. As it stands now, 10 people could picket while standing on the city-owned sidewalk adjacent to the state property. There is no compelling state interest to ban those 10 people from gathering at the base of the monument or walking around the grassy area. The ACLU recommends requiring permits only for groups expected to draw 20 or more people. 
 
Though we appreciate the clarity of a deadline for submitting permits (as Guiding Principle 3 recommends), the provisions in the Proposed Regulations for “spontaneous” demonstrations are unreasonable (1 VAC 30150-40(A)). Pursuant to the proposed regulations, the permit must be submitted at least 45 days in advance. Even proposed events that are to occur in less than six days require a permit under these regulations (1 VAC 30-150-40(C)). Generally, organizing a large demonstration takes significant time and planning. Thus, the requirement to obtain a permit – so long as the permitting process is reasonable and the decision is prompt – imposes little to no additional burden on speech. There are, however, events that take place in response to a “current” event that allow little or no planning. In these cases, the burden posed by a permit requirement is far higher than in an ordinary demonstration which can be planned in advance. Therefore, the ACLU of Virginia recommends that there be an exemption from the permitting requirements for spontaneous demonstrations when it would be impossible for a speaker to seek a permit in advance. 
 
Other proposals in the Proposed Regulations do not allow for maximum public use and do not appear to be narrowly tailored to achieve a legitimate public purpose. See Guiding Principles 9 (permits may include reasonable, content-neutral limitations on the size of events based solely on administrative considerations such as the capacity of the available space and legitimate law enforcement needs but discretion to impose such limits may not be unfettered) and 10 (any other restrictions on free speech will be reasonable, content-neutral, and narrowly tailored to legitimate government interests, and will allow ample alternative means of communication). For example, events can only occur “Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., [and] Sunday: 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.” (1 VAC 30-150-30(A)(1-3)) and “events may last a maximum of two hours, with an additional 30 minutes to set up and 30 minutes to break down the event.” (1 VAC 30-150-30(B)). 

This proposed permit process is overly restrictive, cumbersome, and allows far too much discretion on the part of police and state officials to use the permit process as a pretext for denying permits to controversial speakers and groups. This appears particularly true in light of the prior uses of the area and previous unrestricted access to Lee Monument and the surrounding area and the “grandfather” clause that appears to grant a blanket exception to these restrictions for “established events” like the Monument Avenue 10k, the Easter Parade and the Richmond Marathon, all of which start earlier than “allowed” on Saturday or Sunday and all of which have traditionally featured bands and stages on the Lee Monument grounds from time to time. The ACLU of Virginia recommends that these restrictions be narrowed and applied uniformly to all events. 
 
While the Proposed Regulations require that a permit denial be accompanied by written reasons, the rules do not appear to provide constitutional due process in the form of a procedure for appealing the denial or revocation of a permit. Our Guiding Principle 8 addresses that issue: Permit regulations shall provide that a permit will not be revoked without notice and an opportunity to contest the revocation which notice shall be given promptly to provide the applicant enough time to seek an alternative venue or to challenge the revocation. The ACLU of Virginia recommends that the regulations be amended to provide due process when a permit is denied or revoked. 
 
Finally, as we said in our comments on the Emergency Regulations, we do not find the provisions related to the regulation of weapons at events held on the Lee Monument grounds objectionable on constitutional grounds. The proposed restrictions on weapons outlined in 1 VAC 30-150-30(C)(1) are reasonable time, place manner rules that do not raise constitutional questions under the First or Second Amendments to the United States Constitution. 
 
There have been suggestions that the administration intends to amend the protest regulations applicable to Capitol Square using these Proposed Regulations to guide that process. The ACLU of Virginia has expressed serious concerns about the constitutionality of the rules governing public access to Capitol Square for First Amendment activities on more than one occasion:  https://acluva.org/en/press-releases/aclu-virginia-governor-capitolsquare-demonstration-regulation-unconstitutional and https://acluva.org/en/news/time-fix-assembly-restrictions-statecapitol.  
 
We supplied the administration with guidelines we thought should be followed in amending the Capitol Square regulations similar to those now included in the white paper referenced in these comments. Any amendment of the Capitol Square regulations that mirrors any of the Proposed Regulations about which we have constitutional concerns will also be of suspect validity. 
 
In conclusion, the ACLU of Virginia believes that the Proposed Regulations raise serious constitutional concerns that must be addressed in the rule-making process. We welcome an opportunity to consult with you during the revision process.

Our report, "Permitting Demonstrations," is available at the following link:https://acluva.org/en/publications/permitting-demonstrations-guiding-principles

The right to protest and the right to history must be retained. History cannot be ignored or changed. It should be a learning point...see where we were, now see where we are today!

We cannot change history because we do not like it, but we can learn from it and change the future.

Auction the statues to the highest bidder. Make them pay for removal. Who cares who the buyer is. Donate the money to Richmond Public Schools for the purpose of much needed renovations. Put a bike lane down the center of Monument Ave.

I have been a resident of the City of Richmond for 72 years. I grew up on Monument Ave. and currently live one block off Monument on W. Franklin St.  When is the City going to realize how important the history of our city including the Civil War and the statues on Monument Ave. are to people all over the country and the world.  I cannot begin to tell you how many people I encounter on my walks down Monument Ave. that tell me they have come from out of town to see these statues.  Many have children who are studying about the Civil War.  I do not believe we should do anything to alter, change or remove these statues.  It is against the law.  Once we start to erase history we will become a sterile country.  As far as closing the grounds around the Lee statue after sunset, I am not sure it will work.  Vandals will just go to another statue to do their destruction.

Leave the monuments where they are. You can’t change or erase history. You can learn from the mistakes. You won’t find an individual or organization that will pay for removing them. That cost will be on the city. Wouldn’t that money be better spent on improving our decaying public schools?

There would be no  need to make protest regulations and proposals if you’d take them down in the first place!! THERE IS A CIVIL WAR MUSEUM IN RICHMOND TAKE THEM THERE GIVE THEM A HOME OUTSIDE THAT MUSEUM!!!. THE CONFEDERACY IS DEAD! THEY LOST! Lee himself did not want to be recognized as a great general he was ashamed and embarrassed!! There are historical documents proving that!! These  statues were eradicated many years after his death!!!! For what!?? I don’t think the general you guys praise so much would want these statues around after stating “ I think it be wise not to keep open the sores of war but to follow the examples of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, to commit to oblivion the feelings engendered.” 
Everyone wants to say the confederate is history and yes it is. A very dark, twisted, and racist history! The civil war was fought over slavery!!! The south did not want to eradicate slavery because it benefited the economy and it would affect the southern way of life back then! Poor southerner farmers who didnt own slaves fought in the war to protect their way of life!!!! Protect white supremacy! So to everyone up here that is making a historical arguement...... this is your racist history and the least you could do is sympathize and empathize with the black bodies that helped built this damn country!!!! 

DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!! 

I enjoy walking my dog or passing through the Lee Monument grounds after hours and using the area for recreation. Closing the circle off to public access during the evening hours would be a shame for the neighborhood and visitors to Richmond and deny us access to a safe area for evening recreation. The circle is well lit and provides a safe place for runners and dog walkers during the evening and morning hours when other streets aren't as safe and well lit. With more residents moving in to the former Lee Medical Building adjacent to the circle there will be even more demand for use of this safe green space in the evening hours. 

Closing the circle off to all access during the nighttime hours will do nothing to deter people who wish to damage the Lee circle statue and only push more of the public into dangerous situations where there isn't sufficient lighting and safe places for evening/morning access. 

The Commonwealth would be better off using their resources to add surveilance to the circle, perhaps a permanent security camera on the Lee building and using that to monitor for vandalism and also an extra pair of eyes on those of us lawfully using the circle throughout the day.

There should be no reason anyone should be able to take down or destroy property. You can not change history. If you allow people to continue to destroy and change everything you will wipeout all history. There is no person here on earth that can change the past. All monuments should be protected just as the ones they continue to add daily in any state. There should be a law to allow all to see the past and the future of this country. We are proud Americans that deserve to have our history recognized. If there are some that can not abide by the laws they should have to pay the price for their wrongs. There are citizens that follow the law and our rights are being violated. Instead of taking down our history it should be protected even if you have to spend tax dollars to put up a fence and put up cameras around each and everyone. With that said I think consideration would be given for all not just a few that want to destroy National treasures that cost us a lot of money. Artwork comes in all forms and monuments are a form of artwork why are we trying to get rid of it all. Put up a fence and protect these treasures for the future generations. 

These monuments glorify white supremacy and  should be removed immediately

Ending the publically funded glorification of the Confederacy does not equate with erasing hstory.  No one's going to forget the American Civil War and who did what simply because there's no longer a celebration of southern generals on Monument Avenue.  These statues went up during the nadir of race relations.

These monuments including the equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee are cultural artifacts and the removal or modifcation of them would destroy their context. This cultural destruction of artifacts is a nothing less than an act of genocide just as the crimes committed by the Taliban against Buddhist statues becasue they were offeneded by them. If the issue has to do with someone's hurt feelings over slavery ,then stop teaching Spanish in the schools because the Spanish were the ones who introduced slavery in the New World.

History cannot be removed and keeping the. Leave the monumentst with improved context can allow for all to learn from and improve the future. Would also like to look at what monuments could be added to telll entire history.

A wise man once said we live in a society. I myself would agree. I am a resident of Texas Beach, Oregon Hill, several fraternity houses along Cary Street, the Orleans Parish Prison, several Greyhound bus terminals, and a sporadic house guest at the Stuart Court Apartments, a real cosmopolitan even in my trade. People speculate I could boast that I have written more books on torts or real estate law than I have finished coloring books. This city is a true marvel, for I have spent Evacuation Day getting banned from the University of Richmond over what some accused Jeff Davis of. I have gotten """canceled""" for running so-called "confidence tricks" at Shafer Court, just as J.E.B Stuart was at Yellow Tavern. I was also banned from YouTube, just as Judah P. Benjamin would be. That is, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's not the case for these timeless monuments and all of the highly mindful brain operatives that live on Monument Avenue. 

As John Kennedy Toole once said, "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."

In conclusion, this city is a land of contrasts. 

The proposed regulations don’t make sense. They are merely added logistical challenges to shirk responsibility. As such they are nothing more than an impediment to free speech. 

Seeing people comment on here "I moved here from California, this is so bad to see... blah blah."

You know what? A LOT of people have lived in this state for centuries. Then you move to Virginia because the grass is GREENER (thank you VA low taxes) over here , doesn't mean you get to change our history/heritage. Stop thinking the new states you move to are expected to conform to YOUR beliefs!

This statue debate is pure political specitcal, and only left-wing fringe lunatics see this statue as the focal point of all issues plaguing our nation. I can understand providing context around the statue, but removal is revisionist history.

I am so certain that once the statue is gone, all the issues affecting black people in Richmond will just vanish. Right? Nothing to do with fatherless homes, poverty, lack of education... the list goes on. But yeah, that statue is the REAL problem.

This is a constant waste of resources. This country will never go back to celebrating the confederacy, and there is not future where these statues suddenly become anything other than a testament to slavery and white supremacy. Opposition will only grow. These statues will come down. Stop wasting more of our money to protect these eyesores. 

The intention of telling a wider and more inclusive story of Richmond's history is not only admirable but much needed. However, Monument Avenue is a city, state, and federal Historic Landmark, one of the only intact City Beautiful-era urban landscapes of its kind, and one of America's ten greatest streets as acknowledged by the American Planning Association.This proposed regulation - and any call for taking down the Robert E. Lee Monument is not unifying but alarmingly divisive and treats one of America's most beautiful historic neighborhoods like an experimental art project. It is completely reckless and unproductive. Richmond's - and the nation's - race relations will not be fixed through this headline-mongering warfare of symbology. If the we truly believe in creating more unified communities, perhaps it should be focusing on refurbishing Richmond's crumbling public schools and decaying affordable housing. We firmly believe in people's ability to interpret art and history on their own. Monument Avenue, arguably one of the most special urban schemes in America, does not need subversive, jarring, unsympathetic "art" masquerading as "context" in order for people to understand its complex significance.  KEEP Monument Avenue in tact and do not destroy our neighborhood's beauty by taking down the Lee Memorial!  We represent thousands of Monument Avenue and Richmond residents residents and we'd like to remind the Commonwealth, and especially the Governor, that any removal, alteration or destruction of the Lee Memorial would cause the City to lose the National Historic Landmark designation of Monument Avenue. This would have substantial, adverse consequences for property owners along Monument Aveune.  

These monuments are bothering no one. It is against the law for anyone to bother them including our racist governor. Leave them all alone.