Charlottesville, Virginia, officials removed its statues of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson today. The process was nearly complete just before 9 a.m. eastern. The stone bases will be left in place temporarily and removed later.

Initial plans to remove the Lee statue came about in 2016, prompting White supremacists and other extremist groups to use the monument as a focal point for events such as the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally.

The statues will be held on Charlottesville city property until they are sold.

Because of litigation and changes to a state law dealing with war memorials, the city had been unable to act until now.