RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Two Confederate monuments in two Virginia cities have been vandalized this week. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the word “racist” was found painted in red on the Jefferson Davis statue in Richmond on Tuesday. The Virginian-Pilot reports Norfolk police spokesman Daniel Hudson says a memorial to the Confederate dead was spray-painted with “#2 BETTER LUCK NEVER” early Monday morning. Richmond’s Davis statue is on Monument Avenue, which also features four other Confederate statues. The nearby J.E.B. Stuart statue was splattered with pine tar in August, and three statues were tagged with spray paint after President Donald Trump’s election victory last year. The Norfolk statue was previously spray-painted with the word “SHAME” in May. Both Richmond and Norfolk are considering whether to move or contextualize the monuments following August’s violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.
