removed its statues of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson on Saturday.Viewing areas for the removal of the statues were erected so that bystanders could watch cranes lift the statues from their plinth blocks; the process was nearly complete just before 9 a.m.Photos and videos posted to social media show a crowd gathered to watch the process on Saturday morning.Charlottesville Mayor Nikuyah Walker spoke at Saturday's gathering, calling the removal "one small step forward" in an effort to dismantle White supremacy, according to VPM reporter Ben Paviour.Initial plans to remove the Lee statue came about in 2016, prompting White supremacists and other extremist groups to use the monument as a focal point for.