RICHMOND, Va. — City leaders took a step forward Monday night in the process to remove the city's last standing Confederate statue.
Richmond City Council members adopted a resolution that seeks court approval to remove the A.P. Hill monument on the Northside and relocate Hill's remains.
While most city-owned statues were removed in summer 2020, the city has faced additional challenges removing the Hill monument because the Confederate general is buried underneath it.
The adopted measure will allow the city to convey the statue to the Black History Museum to determine its future. Other removed statues and artifacts were also given to the museum in January.
The resolution also calls for "the respectful disinterment from the site of the General A. P. Hill monument and re-interment as ordered by the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond, Virginia, of the remains of General A. P. Hill."
Mayor Levar Stoney said Tuesday that the city and Hill's family have not yet reached an agreement about where Hill's grave would be relocated.
"We have been unable to come to a decision as of yet," Mayor Stoney said. "We have offered some options to the family that obviously the city hopes they would choose."
The mayor said by getting the court involved, he hopes it will lead to the city and Hill's family finding a resolution.
“I’m still optimistic that we can resolve the future resting place for General Hill," Mayor Stoney said. "And we're going to use the court, the legal process, to get to where I think we need to be.”
A city official said if the court grants approval of the city's request and Hill's family has still not decided on where his grave should be relocated, then the city would make the ultimate decision.
Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert, who represents the area on Laburnum Avenue and Hermitage Road where the statue is located, said she wants a "transparent" process to determine what will happen to the intersection moving forward.
"We know it's the most dangerous intersection in the City of Richmond, but as we stay engaged, we can really come up with a beautiful solution," Lambert said.
According to DMV's crash locator map, the intersection saw 23 crashes in 2019, 17 in 2020 and 12 in 2021.
City officials said in February the intersection will be paved over with asphalt.
