In an article on USA Today:
Statues of three Confederate leaders on display at the University of Texas’ Austin campus were spray painted with “Black Lives Matter” messages on Tuesday night.
The statues were of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America; Gen. Robert E. Lee; and Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, who is buried in the Texas State Cemetery here.
“The university is cleaning up the statues and investigating the matter,” university officials said in a statement to WOAI-AM, San Antonio. “No arrests have been made.”
For decades, Davis’ statue has sat at the foot of the iconic UT tower facing south. The South Mall is lined with statues of men who helped shape America and Texas, including former presidents George Washington and Woodrow Wilson and former Texas Gov. Jim Hogg, the first Texas governor to be born in Texas.
The student government started an online petition Sunday asking university President Greg Fenves to remove the statue immediately.
