Governor, mayor: Confederate symbols in New York must go

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is urging Acting Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy to remove Confederate names from New York City streets. Inside the U.S. Army's Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, one street is named after Gen. Robert E. Lee and another after Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

"Given the events of this week, including the violence and terrorism perpetrated by white supremacists in Charlottesville and the resulting emboldening of the voices of Nazis and white supremacists, I now strongly urge the U.S. Army to reconsider its decision and I call on them to rename these streets," Cuomo wrote to Acting Secretary McCarthy.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also tweeted: "After the violent events in Charlottesville, New York City will conduct a 90-day review of all symbols of hate on city property."

The mayor also tweeted: "The commemoration for Nazi collaborator Philippe Pétain in the Canyon of Heroes will be one of the first we remove."

Bronx Community College of the City University of New York said it will remove and replace busts of Confederate Generals Lee and Jackson from its Hall of Fame for Great Americans. In a statement, the college president said the campus is a space "where all people feel respected, welcomed and valued."

A plaque that stood outside St. John's Episcopal Church in Bay Ridge marking a tree planted by Lee in the 1840s when he was stationed at Fort Hamilton was removed Wednesday. Bishop Lawrence Provenzano said he decided to remove the plaque in light of recent violence in Charlottesville.

Harold Holzer, the director of Hunter College's Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, said the reason these Confederate symbols are still on display in New York City is that most people don't even know they exist so they have stayed under the radar.