The mayor of Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday ordered the immediate removal of a monument to Confederate General Stonewall Jackson from city grounds. Mayor Levar Stoney said Confederate statues pose an immediate and growing threat to public safety.

Mayor Levar Stoney: “Since the end of Richmond’s official tenure as the capital of the Confederacy 155 years ago, we have been burdened with that legacy. The great weight of that burden has fallen on our residents of color, but it’s also placed a weight on all of our brothers and sisters who saw the unmet potential for Richmond to become an international example of a diverse, compassionate and inclusive community.”