Virginia Governor Is Banning Rallies At Richmond Confederate Statue

RICHMOND, VA—Nearly a week after violence broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is temporarily banning rallies at Richmond's Robert E. Lee Monument. The executive order will ban protests until a formal review of the rally permit process is complete and emergency regulations have been put in place.

He said several groups have requested to hold demonstrations at Richmond's Lee Monument similar to the one in Charlottesville. The executive order came after Heather Heyer, 32, was killed after a man believed to have Nazi sympathies drove his car through a crowd. Two Virginia state troopers monitoring the situation from the air died hours later when their helicopter crashed.

“In spite of weeks of preparation, the city of Charlottesville was the target of an act of domestic terrorism that cost one woman her life, and had a helicopter accident lead to the deaths of two state troopers,” said McAuliffe in a statement. "State and local officials need to get ahead of this problem, so that we have the proper legal protections in place to allow for peaceful demonstrations, but without putting citizens and property at risk."

McAuliffe said in a statement the suspension gives officials time to properly consider how to both protect First Amendment rights and prevent threats to public safety. In the coming days, he is expected to issue another executive order forming a task force to study public safety concerns from Charlottesville. The task force could issue policy recommendations within three months.

The City of Richmond is exploring removing the Confederate statues altogether. Richmond mayor Levar Stoney issued a statement Wednesday night saying he has instructed a hand-picked commission to explore the removal of the four Confederate statues on Monument Avenue. The same day, McAuliffe called for the General Assembly and local governments to consider removing Confederate monuments.

The Lee Monument is the first and largest of the statues on Monument Avenue in Virginia's capital city. Demonstrations receiving permits can hold up to 5,000 people.

Image via Martin Falbisoner/Wikimedia Commons