Alerts The sun rises behind the Robert E. Lee statue, where streets are closed ahead of expected protests in Richmond, Virginia on January 17, 2021. - Security officials have warned that armed pro-Trump extremists, possibly carrying explosives, pose a threat to Washington as well as state capitals over the coming week. Photo: Ryan M. Kelly (Getty Images) That we even have to debate whether a statue of Robert E. Lee should exist tells us how backwards many people in America are. Of course, four years of Donald Trump and his racism certainly didn’t help. Advertisement If people are willing to travel to Washington, D.C., to take down the government, they certainly aren’t going to stand by and let one of the symbols of their hate be taken down.