Protesters in Alabama vandalized a Confederate monument and brought down a statue of a Civil War captain on Sunday amid the nationwide demonstrations following the death of George Floyd.
Video shared by Birmingham news station WBRC shows the moment protesters in the city pulled down a statue of Charles Linn, who fought for the Confederate Navy.
The demonstrators managed to topple the structure in Birmingham’s Linn Park by tying a rope to it and using the strength of both people and a truck to bring it down, according to the news station.
The statue was also spray painted, while a wooden barrier was removed from the base of the monument.
Members of the crowd chanted, “Take this s–t down,” as protesters worked to topple the statue.
Linn was a founder of Birmingham. The city’s mayor, Randall Woodfin, ultimately asked demonstrators at the park to stand down Sunday. He urged the protesters to allow him to “finish the job” for them, according to AL.com.
Woodfin also released a video statement Sunday condemning the damage that’s been done to buildings in the city and called for people to stop destroying their own community, while voicing his support for peaceful protests.
Protesters reportedly showed up at Linn Park after comedian Jermaine (FunnyMaine) Johnson spoke at a rally.
“What I’m not telling you to do is walk to Linn Park,” Johnson said, according to AL.com. “I’m not telling to walk to Linn Park after this rally. I’m not telling you to tear something down in Linn Park. I’m not telling you that I’m going to be over there after this rally.”
The Linn statue is one of multiple Confederate structures that have been vandalized in the southern U.S. amid the recent protests against police brutality.
Floyd, a black man, died in police custody last week in Minneapolis. Officer Derek Chauvin has since been fired and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
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