RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — On Richmond’s Monument Avenue, a monument to Black tennis legend and civil rights activist Arthur Ashe interrupted the collection of towering statues honoring Confederate veterans.
The Ashe statue seemed safe from defacement during recent protests over racism and police brutality, when protesters have covered Confederate statues with graffiti and pulled down a statue of Jefferson Davis. But after someone painted “White Lives Matter” on Ashe’s statue, city officials considered a request from Ashe’s family to temporarily remove the statue to protect it.
Related: 'White Lives Matter' spray-painted across Arthur Ashe statue in Virginia
Ashe's nephew said Friday that the request was a “contingency plan” and the statue isn’t going anywhere.
