The mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, is pushing forward on plans to remove Confederate symbols from government grounds after the devastating attack in Virginia that left one dead and 19 injured in a clash over white nationalism.

Mayor Jim Gray said that the events in Charlottesville — where an individual plowed a car through a group of people protesting a white supremacist rally there — had accelerated the process to remove the symbols.

“We have thoroughly examined this issue and heard from many of our citizens,” Mr Gray said in a statement the day of the tragedy. “The tragic events in Charlottesville today have accelerated the announcement I intended to make next week.”

The mayor intends on asking the Lexington-Layette County Urban County Council to take a first step in the removal process by asking the state military commission for permission to remove two statues. Those statues portray John Hunt Morgan and John C Breckinridge. The vote, Mr Gray said, was already in the works.

The Kentucky Military Heritage Commission would need to green light the removal of the statues, and officials with the city and county have been warned that approval wouldn’t be granted until the city decides where the statues would be moved. That commission was established more than 40 years ago, and is tasked with identifying and preserving historic sites and monuments in Kentucky.

Mr Gray’s relationship with the monuments, just as can be said for many in Kentucky and the United States, is one of competing narratives and heritages. All his life, Mr Gray has heard stories of three great uncles who fought in the Civil War — two who fought for the Union Army, and one who fought for the Confederate Army — and the complex legacy that creates.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

But, now as mayor, he is overseeing a transition of the old Fayette County courthouse in downtown Lexington. The city wants to create a new and welcoming center for visitors as a part of a $30 million renovation intending to position the city as a beacon of a new and progressive South. But, standing in the way of the project’s success — which will have a planned bourbon bar, office space, and restaurant — are the two Confederate monuments that represent a history of slavery and racism for many, while at the same time representing an enduring heritage to others.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Mr Gray recently told the Washington Post about his support for moving the monuments. “But doing it right is just as important.”

As the events in Charlottesville and elsewhere show, the removal of Confederate memorials and symbols can have deadly effects. White supremacists had originally decided to hold their rally in the Virginia town known more for being a quiet college town than political activism, as a result of plans to remove a statue of Robert E Lee there. That rally was quickly dispersed by police over violent skirmishes between the white supremacists and counter-protesters.

Other attempts throughout the country to bring down Confederate memorials have resulted in varying levels of violence, and frequently result in vocal opposition.

Lexington’s statues honour Morgan — a man known then as the “Thunderbolt of the Confederacy” — and Breckinridge — the former US vice president who was kicked out of the Senate for joining the Confederate army. Breckinridge served as the last Confederate secretary of war.