Virginia Democratic State Senator Charged With Conspiracy to Commit Felony
A Virginia Democratic state senator is included in at least 14 people to be sued in connection with the partial Confederate monument dismantling in June, which led to "life threatening" and "permanent injury" of a man.
Portsmouth Police Chief Angela Greene announced during a news conference on Monday.
Sen. L. Louise Lucas, who is also president pro tempore of the Virginia State Senate, will face a lawsuit of conspiracy to commit a felony and injury to a monument in excess of $1,000.
Aside from the Virginia Democratic state senator, Portsmouth school board member, local NAACP chapter members, and three public defenders are also facing charges.
Neither of the public servants can be reached immediately for a statement, according to a report.
Greene requested the individuals to voluntarily turn themselves into custody.
"During this time of our nation's unrest, which was a direct result of the heinous death of Mr. George Floyd, countless monuments across our nation were being defaced by protestors," Greene was quoted.
The said injured man was Chris Green, who suffered a life-threatening injury during protests that took place after George Floyd's killing.
Floyd's death resulted in interest in wanting Confederate monuments and flags taken down.
The act to remove the Portsmouth monument led to hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage, according to Greene.
Greene said that the Virginia State Police has finished their investigation on Jul. 22. Meanwhile, Portsmouth Police Department did its investigations into the Jun. 10 demonstrations.
Greene said the investigators compiled written, videos, and audio evidences around the destruction of the Confederate monument.
There were also requests made for additional state and federal assistance for an independent probe.
But Greene said that the request "fell outside of the scope of investigation for those law enforcement entities."
The Virginia Democratic State Senator
Lucas has been part of the state senate since 1992, according to her biography. She was also the first black woman to be president pro tempore of the state senate.
The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and other Virginia Democrats attacked the charges against Lucas.
"It's deeply troubling that on the verge of Virginia passing long-overdue police reform, the first Black woman to serve as our Senate Pro Tempore is suddenly facing highly unusual charges," Gov. Ralph Northam tweeted Monday.
Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe said through tweets that she is a public servant who is not afraid to do and say what she think is right.
McAuliffe said that he stands with his good friend, adding that what Lucas did was what would John Lewis called a good trouble.
However, some fellow politicians think different.
Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Rich Anderson said Lucas should turn herself in.
Anderson said that felony charges against a sitting senator will be taken seriously and will not be used for political gains.
Confederate Monuments
In a Jul. 24 report, Virginia has removed its Confederate monuments honoring the Confederate generals and officials.
This included a bronze statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in the same spot where he stood to assume command of the state's armed forces in the Civil War.
Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn quietly ordered the removal of the Lee statue.
Filler-Corn said that Virginia has a story to tell that expands far beyond the Confederacy and its participants.
Check these out:
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