RantCrush Top 5: August 16, 2017

Early this morning, four Confederate statues were removed from public spaces in Baltimore, following the violence in Charlottesville. The fate of the statues, including those of generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, had been debated for some time, but last weekend’s white supremacist rally and the death of Heather Heyer was the last straw for Baltimore officials.

They rode in on the Lost Cause. They rode out on a flatbed truck. pic.twitter.com/CfRlluk5s0

— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) August 16, 2017

It’s unclear what will happen to the statues, but one councilman suggested they be melted down and turned into statues of “true American heroes.” Mayor Catherine Pugh has mentioned they could be placed in one of the Confederate cemeteries in the state. On Monday, demonstrators gathered in Durham, North Carolina, and took down a Confederate statue on their own. Yesterday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said in a statement that he is working to take down the rest of the state’s statues.

Demonstrators topple a confederate monument in downtown Durham. #WRAL pic.twitter.com/jh6aassCoX

— Adam Owens (@AdamOwensTV) August 14, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.