The controversy began before 2016 when protest groups in the community asked the city council for the local removal of Confederate monuments and memorials.
Other monuments became part of the controversy, including those of Thomas Jefferson because of his ownership of slaves and those of Lewis and Clark for their advocacy of white colonists over Native Americans.
[7] The city council member in opposition said that renaming the parks would lead the community to avoid necessary conversation.
[9] At the time this amount of money was large enough to be a factor in making a decision about moving the statues.
[9] In May 2017 Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer wrote to explain why he, as one of 5 members of city council, voted with the minority in a 3-2 decision to keep the statue in place.