This weekend, white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, to protest the city’s removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
What was already a contentious, violent rally became murderous Saturday, when a 20-year-old white supremacist named James Alex Fields allegedly drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one and injuring at least 19 others.
Now, numerous other cities are considering removing their own Confederate monuments.
One of those cities is Lexington, Kentucky, where Mayor Jim Gray promised to take action Saturday.
“Mayors are on the razor’s edge,” Gray, a Democrat, told CBS. “When you see the violence that we saw in Charlottesville, then you know that we must act.”
“I don’t think it’s right... that we would honor and glorify Confederate men who fought to preserve slavery,” he added. “And honor them on the very grounds that slaves were once sold at auction.”
A Confederate statue in Louisville, some 80 miles from Lexington, was vandalized over the weekend.
There are more than 700 Confederate monuments installed in public areas across 31 states, USA Today notes. They can be found in public parks, courthouses and capitol buildings, among other locations.
New Orleans in 2015 announced plans to remove four prominent Confederate statutes, which it did earlier this year.
Other cities contemplating similar actions include:
I am taking action to relocate the Confederate statues. We have thoroughly examined this issue, and heard from many of our citizens.
— Mayor Jim Gray (@JimGrayLexKY) August 12, 2017
#Breaking @LarryHogan calls for removal of #RogerBTaney statue for MD State House lawn @ABC7News
— Brad Bell (@ABC7Brad) August 15, 2017
Citing events in #Charlottesville #Baltimore City Council adopts resolution calling for immediate destruction of confederate monuments #WBAL pic.twitter.com/9IiiGpfr99
— Vanessa Herring (@VanessaWBAL) August 14, 2017
I'm sending a letter to @NatlParkService & will intro a resolution calling for the removal of Gen. Pike statue once we're back in session https://t.co/NuoFDTXNgr
— David Grosso (@cmdgrosso) August 14, 2017
JUST IN: Jacksonville City Council President calls for starting process of moving confederate monuments/memorials off public property. pic.twitter.com/AVJGqZ9CPs
— Stephanie Brown (@SBrownReports) August 14, 2017
It’s time to move forward. These monuments should come down. - RC https://t.co/Lw9m6ZYbQJ
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) August 15, 2017
"We cannot continue to glorify a war against the United States of America fought in the defense of slavery," he said. "These monuments should come down."
JUST IN: City of Franklin to remove Robert E. Lee monument in Warren County. @Enquirer
— Jason Williams (@jwilliamscincy) August 16, 2017
A look at the now covered Confederate Monument in Linn Park. Mayor Bell ordered the statue covered this afternoon. @WBRCnews #Birmingham pic.twitter.com/VbqYLSwZ1t
— Jamiese Price (@ThePriceReport) August 16, 2017