(Breaking news update, posted at 1:47 p.m.)
Workers in Charlottesville, Virginia, placed a large black tarp Wednesday over a monument to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that was the site of violent protests earlier this month.
(Previous story, posted at 1:31 p.m.)
Officials in Charlottesville, Virginia, have found black fabric big enough to shroud two controversial Confederate statues — and the covers could be in place by week’s end, the City Council clerk said.
Hunting down fabric swaths large enough to drape over the monuments of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson had proven tough, the clerk, Paige Rice, told CNN.
But by Wednesday morning, the shrouds were on their way, she said.
“The drapes have been ordered and may be in place by the end of the week, pending department resources to properly secure them at both statues,” she told CNN.
At a heated meeting Monday, the Charlottesville City Council unanimously voted to cover the two statues in black.
The vote was meant to signal the city mourning the death of Heather Heyer, who was killed August 12 when a car plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters who’d gathered to oppose a rally of white nationalist and other right-wing organizations.
Such groups have been drawn to Charlottesville since the council voted in February to remove the Lee monument from its central downtown spot; that decision is being challenged in court.
Initially, finding weatherproof fabric large enough to cover the statues wasn’t easy, Rice told CNN, noting that the city tried “to get in touch with event companies or other cities who have done something similar to see where they got the shrouds.”
Rice could not immediately provide the name of the fabric supplier.
This story has been updated to reflect the latest information from Charlottesville officials regarding their efforts to cover two Confederate statues.
