Hundreds of protesters shout 'just drop it' as crane removes 1908 Confederate monument in Atlanta which will be put in storage indefinitely (14 Pics)
Hundreds of protesters celebrated and shouted 'just drop it' as a crane removed a 112-year old Confederate monument in Atlanta.
The 30ft stone obelisk was taken down close to midnight to rapturous applause from those who had flocked to watch, in what was described as a 'victory for this country'.
Onlookers in Decatur jeered as The Lost Cause monument, which was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908, was lifted from its base with straps.
The 30ft stone obelisk was taken down close to midnight to rapturous applause from those who had flocked to watch, in what was described as a 'victory for this country'.
Onlookers in Decatur jeered as The Lost Cause monument, which was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908, was lifted from its base with straps.
They were kept back from the monument by sheriff's deputies when it was lowered to ground, and the obelisk will now be put in storage indefinitely.
Mawuli Davis, a driving force behind the lobby to remove it, watched with others as it was slowly lowered on to its side and slid on to a waiting flatbed truck.
Mr Davis's organisation, the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights, had demonstrated in front of the monument a day earlier, pleading for its removal.
The yellow crane lifts the 30ft obelisk from its base, in what protesters called a 'a victory for this country'
A worker helps to steady the monument with ties and ropes as it is lifted away from the base, before being slowly tilted on its side
A crane was enlisted to ensure the safe removal of the 30ft-tall monument from the square in Decatur, Georgia
Workers look on as the monument, strapped to ropes, was brought down late last night in Decatur
'This feels great. This is a people's victory. All of our young people from Decatur High School that made this happen.
'All of these organisers, everybody came together.
'This is it. This is a victory for this country. This is an example of what can happen when people work together.'
Groups such as his and Hate Free Decatur had been pushing for the obelisk to be removed since the deadly 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Protesters jeered 'Just drop it!' as many were kept back from the momument by sheriff's deputies. Crowds (pictured above) cheered as the monument was removed at close to midnight
Crowds holding red cups celebrated as the monument was brought down, some lowering their face masks to cheer
The monument was one of many across the US that had became flashpoints for protests against police brutality and racial injustice in recent weeks, following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
The city asked a Georgia judge last week to order the removal of the monument, which was often vandalised and marked by graffiti, saying it had become a threat to public safety.
In recent days the monument (left) had been defaced and Black Lives Matter tributes placed at its base. Last night workers removed the monument by using a crane to lower it to the ground (right)
Hundreds of community members wearing face masks gathered to watch the removal of the Lost Cause monument after the city asked a Georgia judge last week to order the removal of the monument, which was often vandalised and marked by graffiti, saying it had become a threat to public safety
Workers remove the base of the 30ft obelisk after a county judge ordered the monument was 'immediately relocated'
The monument came down on the eve of Juneteenth - the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 when all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from bondage - as workers chipped it loose and the crowd cheered
DeKalb County Judge Clarence Seeliger agreed, and ordered for the removal of the 30ft obelisk in Decatur Square by midnight on June 26 and placed in storage indefinitely.
His order came hours before a white Atlanta police officer fatally shot another black man, 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, in the back, sparking renewed protests in Georgia's capital region.
Instead, the monument came down on the eve of Juneteenth - the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 when all enslaved black people learned they had been freed from bondage - as workers chipped it loose and the crowd cheered.
Workers hold on to either end of the monument to help steady it as it is lowered to the ground
Protesters filmed and photographed the huge obelisk after workers lay it on the floor
Protest signs had been placed in recent days at the foot of the obelisk, including graffiti that said 'abolish the police'
Megan Beezley, who rushed to the square with her daughter after hearing about the removal from a Facebook post, said: 'It's always been troubling to see that monument over there on the square.
'We spend a lot of time up here and it's troubling that our friends and our loved ones and other people of colour have to look at that monument to slavery and to the Confederacy.'
DeKalb County had spent several years trying to rid itself of the monument.
A marker added to the monument last September said the obelisk was erected to 'glorify the 'lost cause' of the Confederacy' and has 'bolstered white supremacy and faulty history'.
Hundreds of protesters shout 'just drop it' as crane removes 1908 Confederate monument in Atlanta which will be put in storage indefinitely (14 Pics)
![Hundreds of protesters shout 'just drop it' as crane removes 1908 Confederate monument in Atlanta which will be put in storage indefinitely (14 Pics)]()
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June 19, 2020
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