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U.S. NEWS Friday 12 June 2020
Protesters topple Jefferson Davis statue in Virginia capital

Continued from Front week ordered its removal, this summer undoes pro-
but a judge on Monday tections for Confederate
In the weeks since Floyd’s blocked such action for at monuments and lets local
death under a white Min- least 10 days. governments decide what
neapolis police officer’s The spokesman for the Vir- to do with them.
knee set off protests and ginia division of the Sons of Stoney tweeted Thursday
sporadic violence across Confederate Veterans, B. that he will push to quickly
the U.S. over the treatment Frank Earnest, condemned dismantle the other monu-
of black people, many the toppling of “public ments. Both he and the go-
Confederate monuments works of art” and likened vernor asked protesters not
have been damaged or losing the Confederate to do it themselves.
taken down, some toppled statues to losing a family “For the sake of public safe-
by demonstrators, others member. ty, I ask the community to
removed by local authori- “The men who served un- allow us to legally contract
ties. der Robert E. Lee were to have the remaining ones
Authorities in Alabama got my great-grandfathers removed professionally,
rid of a massive obelisk in or their brothers and their to prevent any potential
Birmingham and a bronze cousins. So it is my family,” harm that could result from
likeness of a Confederate he said. “What if a crowd attempts to remove them
naval officer in Mobile. In of any other group went without professional expe-
Virginia, a 176-year-old sla- and found the symbols of rience,” Stoney said. Gabriel Black Elk, who is Lakota, kneels on the neck of a fallen
ve auction block was remo- someone they didn’t like While it wasn’t clear what statue of Christopher Columbus and holds an American flag
ved in Fredericksburg, and and decided to tear them would happen to the top- with the names of Native Americans killed by police, at the
Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, June 10,
the United Daughters of the down? Everybody would pled Davis statue, the may- 2020.
Confederacy took down a be appalled.” or indicated it is gone for Associated Press
statue in Alexandria. He added: “I don’t know good. “He never deserved
The movement has exten- why it’s acceptable, why to be up on that pedestal,” is white, suggested repla- away, knocked the heads
ded around the world, with people who are descen- the mayor said, calling Da- cing the statues along off the statues of four Con-
protesters decrying mo- ded from the Confederate vis a “racist & traitor.” Monument Avenue with federates and pulled one
numents to slave traders, Army and the Confederate At the monument site on fountains, gardens or parks, of the statues to the ground
imperialists and explorers, soldiers, it’s accepted in this Thursday, Stacy Burrs said: saying: “It’s ridiculous that after the City Council sche-
including Christopher Co- country that you can do “It shouldn’t have taken these monuments are such duled a hearing on the mo-
lumbus, Cecil Rhodes and anything to us you want.” this long to get to where a focal point of the city.” nument’s fate for the end
Belgium’s King Leopold II. Richmond Mayor Levar it is now.” “If it were me, “I think it is part of history. of July. Mayor John Rowe
The Davis monument was a Stoney had recently an- the whole thing would just But I think we can leave it said police didn’t intervene
few blocks away from a 12- nounced he would intro- be razed,” said Burrs, a in history,” she said, “and because that could have
ton, 61-foot-high equestri- duce an ordinance in July black man who served on we need to move forward escalated the situation.
an statue of the most reve- to remove the Davis monu- a mayoral commission a and do something different A protester was hit in the
red Confederate of them ment and statues of other few years ago that recom- with our streets and our head and knocked uncon-
all, Gen. Robert E. Lee, that Confederates, including mended taking down the monuments.” Also Wed- scious as the monument
the state of Virginia is trying Gens. Stonewall Jackson statue. nesday night, protesters in fell. He was hospitalized
to take down. Democratic and J.E.B. Stuart. A new sta- Longtime Richmond resi- Portsmouth, Virginia, about with what police said were
Gov. Ralph Northam last te law that goes into effect dent Karen Mizrach, who 80 miles (130 kilometers) life-threatening injuries.q

Watchdog: Agency misspent money meant for migrant care

Associated Press the care of those in our 16-year-old boy who died
PHOENIX (AP) — U.S. Cus- custody; the violations of the flu in his Texas hold-
toms and Border Protec- identified are technical in ing cell without anyone
tion violated the law when nature and prompt reme- noticing for several hours.
it misspent money appro- dial action will be taken,” In response to the uptick in
priated for migrant care the agency wrote. arrivals, Congress allocat-
on items like all-terrain ve- The spring and summer of ed CBP an extra $708 mil-
hicles, boats and its police 2019 saw an extraordinary lion for “establishing and
dog program, according jump in border crossings. In operating migrant care
to a federal investigation. May, the Border Patrol ap- and processing facilities”
The U.S. Government Ac- prehended nearly 133,000 and $112 million for “con-
countability Office said in people at the southern sumable and medical
a report released Thursday border. The numbers start- care.” Some of the money
that CBP misspent some of In this Oct. 29, 2019, file photo, Customs and Border Protection ed to decrease after that, meant for medical care
the $112 million it was al- officers gather at the border fence during a press conference but by the end of the gov- and consumables— things
located for “consumables in El Paso, Texas. ernment’s fiscal year on such as hygiene products
and medical care” on an Associated Press Sept. 30, the agency had and baby items— was in-
emergency basis during said the agency charged recommend by the GAO. apprehended 851,508 stead spent on the canine
a large increase in illegal a small subset of expenses We emphasize that, and people. Reports of poor program, all-terrain vehi-
border crossings in 2019. In in fiscal year 2019 to the in- GAO’s opinion does not medical care and abuse cles, dirt bikes, computer
a statement to The Associ- correct account. suggest otherwise, all of were rampant. Several upgrades, janitorial ser-
ated Press, CBP said it fully “We are working to item- CBP’s obligations were for children and adults died in vices and boats, among
cooperated with GAO ize all such expenses, and lawful objects related to Border Patrol custody that others, according to the
throughout its inquiry. It correct our accounts as agency operations and fiscal year, including a report. q