Dallas to remove Robert E. Lee statue from public park

The city of Dallas has wasted no time tearing down its Robert E. Lee statue following a 13-1 vote by the city council Wednesday. The city of Dallas has wasted no time tearing down its Robert E. Lee statue following a 13-1 vote by the city council Wednesday. Photo: WFAA/Facebook Photo: WFAA/Facebook Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Dallas to remove Robert E. Lee statue from public park 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

The Dallas City Council voted Wednesday to removed the statue of Robert E. Lee from a public park following ongoing backlash nationwide surrounding Confederate monuments.

The council voted 13-1 in favor of immediately removing the monument to the Confederate general in Lee Park near Turtle Creek, the Dallas News reported Wednesday afternoon. A task force will be convened by the city to figure out what to do with the statue.

Dallas' WFAA is live streaming the removal of the statue on Facebook Wednesday afternoon.

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This is not the first Lee statue in Texas to be taken down. The University of Texas at Austin removed its Lee statue from campus in late August along with those of Albert Sidney Johnston and John Reagan. The renewed interest in tearing down Confederate monuments followed the deadly protests in Charlottesville, Va., over the proposed removal of another Lee statue.