Just in case you weren't sure how the Defenders' have long felt about this issue:
The Richmond Defender - January 13, 2007
Here is some very recent coverage on the issue of the statues on Monument Avenue:
http://www.richmond.com/news/as-confederate-monuments-come-down-elsewhere-can-richmond-offer-something/article_e2f6dd70-a1d4-50b1-9f50-19abf1974077.html
Smithsonian Magazine - May 18, 2017 - Kevin M. Levin
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-richmond-has-gotten-right-about-interpreting-its-confederate-history-180963354/
Richmond Magazine - May 17, 2017 - Lauranett Lee
http://richmondmagazine.com/news/news/my-take-lumpkins-jail-site-lauranett-lee/
Richmond Times Dispatch - February 17, 2017 - Michael Paul Williams
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/michael-paul-williams/williams-tell-the-story-behind-richmond-s-confederate-monuments/article_b525af4d-2b54-508f-9d29-27fd06dedd75.html