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A white woman was shooed away by protesters at the site of the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia after yelling the N-word.
The unidentified woman, who was caught on camera, was at the site to seemingly stage her own one-woman protest that the statue has been defaced and is going to ultimately come down.
She was there on the day of a planned hologram tribute to George Floyd that took place later that night.
Read More: Hologram of George Floyd to tour Southern states
She told the person recording “This is my city,” and then as the exchange became more contentious, she dropped the N-bomb, saying, “Look at this n—a sh–t.” As she’s pushed away, the video, captured on July 28 by Mikhail Smith, ends.
The woman may have been triggered by the fact that the Lee statue and the square that it sits on has been the target of protesters since Floyd’s death on May 25.
Confederate General Lee was the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia and drew praise from some Virginians at the time for protecting the city against Union forces. Ultimately, the Confederacy which was 11 Southern states that seceded from the U.S. largely over the issue of slavery and sparked the Civil War, was defeated.
Read More: California lawmakers propose ‘George Floyd’ law to punish bystander cops
Confederate statues were ultimately built in 31 of 50 American states. Lee’s statue has stood in a park on Monument Ave. since 1890 but became a target of protesters and has been defaced and vandalized. Images of Floyd, Harriet Tubman, and the BLM logo have been projected onto the monument.
Richmond mayor Levar Stoney, who is Black, has supported the removal of the Confederate statues on Monument Ave. The Lee statue and one of champion tennis player Arthur Ashe, are the only two statues that remain. Most legal hurdles have been cleared to remove the Lee statue and it’s expected to be removed at some point.
Statues around the country were toppled or defaced by BLM protesters who decried the continued display of figures from history who supported slavery.
Read More: Minnesota passes historic police reform bill two months after George Floyd’s death
As reported by Richmond.com, an encampment that grew up around the plaza where the Lee monument stood was cleared yesterday. Tents, cooking grills, clothing, and other items were removed as the individuals camping there attempted to gather their things.
The encampment was notified the area would be emptied the day before. Two arrests were made and more may be forthcoming as protesters vowed to remain.
Two days ago, Floyd was paid tribute when a hologram lit up the plaza with his face and name. The imaging is part of “A Monumental Change: The George Floyd Hologram Memorial Project.”
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