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Group led by ‘Unite the Right’ rally organizer uncovers Charlottesville statues

Posted at 11:29 PM, Sep 18, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-18 23:49:17-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- The statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were uncovered yet again Monday night in downtown Charlottesville, but Jackson was covered back up just as quickly as it was taken down.

A group led by white activist Jason Kessler, the organizer of the deadly “Unite the Right” rally last month, removed the shrouds on both statues.

Police stood by as it was happening explaining the Commonwealth's Attorney says no crime has been committed and he doesn't plan to prosecute any crimes connected with the statue tarps.

This comes after a back-and-forth over the weekend with people removing the shrouds.

Tonight's group said they will be back each night the city recovers the statues.

The statues were originally covered up after Charlottesville City Council voted unanimously to put a tarp over the monuments as a sign of respect to the three people who lost their lives on August 12 after the Unite the Right rally.

The statues will remain covered until an ongoing lawsuit reaches a verdict. It's up for debate whether or not the statues can be removed from the parks entirely.

Police said a fence around both statues is being considered so they can enforce trespassing.

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