Robert E. Lee Statue, Richmond Va

   My name is Willam C. Gregory from Mechanicsville, Va. 

I am the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Governor in Virginia. In the lawsuit I am attempting to enforce a Deed Restriction given to my great grandparents prohibiting the removal of the Lee Monument from Monument Avenue in Richmond Virginia.

The fund will be used to pay my legal fees and expenses for the litigation.

The funds will be withdrawn and paid to my lawyer, Joe Blackburn.

The Removal Order

On June 4 , 2020, without warning or referendum vote, Virginia governor Ralph Northam announced that he and his administration would order the removal of the Robert E. Lee Monument, a 130-year-old statue and Virginia and National Landmark which sits in Lee Circle on Richmond’s iconic Monument Avenue.

The Promises in the Original Deed

My great-grandparents gave the land where the Monument now sits to the Commonwealth of Virginia, on the condition that the state agree to faithfully guard and affectionately protect the statue perpetually—conditions to which the Commonwealth agreed, and which were expressed clearly in the 1890 deed signed by Virginia’s then-governor.

Members of my family and I have always taken pride in knowing that part of our lasting legacy was the gift of Lee Circle to our home state, Virginia, and we have, until now, found peace in knowing that the promises and the covenants made to keep the Statue where it now stands and has stood for all our lives would allow our family’s gift and legacy to endure.

Governor Northam ordered the removal of the Lee Monument without regard to the promises made to my great-grandparents on behalf of the Commonwealth of Virginia. That’s why I filed a lawsuit to enforce the deed, and a judge in Richmond granted an injunction to prevent the removal of the Lee Monument until the case is resolved.

The Need for Action and Support

Now, the Lee Monument stands in great peril, and has already been vandalized and covered almost entirely in explicit and profane graffiti. Protestors have attempted to unlawfully remove the Monument, risking both irreparable harm to this internationally regarded work of art, and life- threatening injury to themselves in the process. We cannot stand idly by and watch this happen. We must force Virginia to keep its word.
The expenses associated with this action have been tremendous, and I kindly ask all those who are able to please support our cause with any donation you can afford.

Respectfully,

William Gregory