City Of Birmingham Removes Confederate Monument & Will Pay Fine

After a weekend of vandalization and speculation, the City of Birmingham has officially begun work to remove the Confederate monument at Linn Park.

Late Monday night a crew of workers was spotted at Linn Park and talk began of potentially removing the monument. It seemed doubtful that Birmingham would remove the statue due to a $25,000 they'd receive as a result. According to ABC 33/40, Alabama's Attorney General Steve Marshall would be forced to fine Birmingham $25,000 if the monument were to be removed because the monument is protected under Alabama's Monuments Preservation Act. As of Tuesday morning, it has been confirmed that Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin will pay the fine and has indeed begun work to remove the monument from Linn Park. Crews were seen removing the top piece of the monument late Monday evening.

Birmingham Mayor Woodfin said he wanted to remove the monument as quickly as possible. The goal is to remove the statue to prevent further damage. After the removal, it is likely to be offered to the daughters of the Confederacy or it would be moved to a museum for safekeeping.

The city of Birmingham announced a curfew for its citizens earlier this week amid what Mayor Randall Woodfin called "Civil unrest." The curfew is being enforced from 7 p.m until 6 a.m and is set to last until at least June 4th. After the removal of this monument in Linn Park, we will see if any further announcements will be made regarding the curfew in Birmingham.

(Source) To read the full story on ABC 33/40, click here.