WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — Williamsburg City Council on Monday night started the formal process for the removal of the city’s Confederate monument in Bicentennial Park.
It comes as Confederate monuments continue to come down across the country, with Gov. Ralph Northam ordering Richmond’s Robert E. Lee statue to come down as soon as possible.
A new law that goes into effect in Virginia on July 1 allows localities to remove, relocate or add context to war memorials. It requires localities to hold a public hearing about the removal of a monument, with a 30-day window afterward for outside groups such as museums to submit a bid.
After the 30-day window, the locality can ultimately decide what they want to do. Norfolk is using this method in an effort to relocate its Confederate monument downtown, with a public hearing scheduled for July 7.
At the meeting Monday night, Williamsburg city leaders said the earliest date for a public hearing will be after July 13.
WAVY will continue to follow developments on Williamsburg’s statue and other Confederate monuments across Hampton Roads.