NORFOLK, Va.— An 80-foot tall Confederate monument in the Virginia city of Norfolk could be removed as early as Aug. 7.
The Virginian-Pilot reports that city officials laid out details of a plan on Tuesday to take down the monument. The monument’s removal will be allowed once a new state law takes effect in July.
Norfolk’s plan is taking shape as Virginia’s governor says he plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from state-owned property in Richmond. Richmond’s mayor is also planning to remove Confederate monuments along Monument Avenue that are on city owned land.
The new state law that allows monuments to be removed requires a public hearing first. The one in Norfolk is planned for a July 7 city council meeting.
A 30-day waiting period follows, during which the city has to hear offers from museums, battlefields and other groups that may want to take the monument.
Norfolk’s monument was built between 1899 and 1907 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It is now owned by the city.
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