RICHMOND, Va. — The Department of General Services is holding a public hearing concerning regulations regarding the use of the Robert E. Lee Monument.
The regulations were first established in a 2017 executive order by then-Governor Terry McAuliffe. The regulations came three months after violence at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville that left one woman dead.
The proposed permanent regulations would replace the emergency regulations which are set to expire in May 2019.
Among the proposed regulations; protests at the Lee Monument cannot exceed 500 people, possession of weapons, including firearms are banned and the Lee Monument shall be closed to the public from sunset each night until sunrise the following morning,
Other restrictions include:
- All assemblies of 10 or more people will now require a special event permit.
- There shall be no motor vehicles on the Lee Monument at any time.
- No banners, flags, posters, or other objects shall be placed on or affixed to the statue itself.
- Unlawful activity is prohibited.
The DGS will hold a hearing to gather comments from the public on March 6, 2019. The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. until noon at the Virginia War Memorial Carillon, located at 1300 Blanton Avenue in Richmond’s Byrd Park.
Anyone who wishes to speak must register at the event. Registration begins at 9 a.m. on the day on the even. Speakers will be called in the order in which they registered.
All speakers are limited to two minutes.
Seating capacity during the event is limited to 150 people and will be available on a first-come basis.
Written comments can be submitted on the Virginia Town Hall regulatory website through March 8.
