Richmond panel postpones meeting on Confederate monuments

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s panel on monuments has postponed its September hearing.

The mayor’s office announced Friday that the decision was made “in the interests of public safety” and to allow for “a restructuring of the commission’s engagement with the public” to promote accessibility and constructive dialogue.

The mayor says he plans to reschedule the Sept. 13 hearing in October.

Last week, City Councilwoman Kimberly Gray, who serves on the panel, asked the mayor for the delay in the aftermath of the violence and death at the Aug. 12 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Stoney formed the commission in June, so historians, academics and community leaders could discuss how the city could “add context” to the five Confederate monuments lining Monument Avenue.