Less than a week after white nationalists rallied in Charlottesville, Va, in support of a monument to Robert E. Lee that ended in deadly violence, Birmingham city leaders moved to cover a Confederate monument that resides on the city’s public property.
Mayor William Bell‘s decision to cover the monument in the downtown Linn Park. came quietly, without fanfare, as city workers installed a wooden structure Tuesday night just before 10 p.m.
Earlier this year, Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill into law preventing the removal of historic statues more than 40 years old from public spaces, making the removal of the confederate monument found in Birmingham’s Linn Park illegal.
Under the new law, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has the authority to fine the city $25,000 for each violation of the law.
Which prompted the creation of a GoFundMe account by a group called “People of Birmingham” with a goal of $25,000 they plan to use to pay the state’s fine.
Bell’s office says it’s looking at ways to challenge the state law restricting the Magic City’s authority to remove the monument, but in the meantime they plan to keep it covered.
