Confederate monument in Alabama partially removed overnight

The base of a Confederate monument in Alabama's largest city was all that remained Tuesday morning after crews worked overnight to dismantle it. Workers began Monday night removing the top portion of the obelisk in pieces in Birmingham's Linn Park, about a day after protesters tried to remove it themselves during a protest over police brutality, including the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Live video filmed by AL.com overnight showed a flatbed truck hauling off the stone pieces in the early morning hours. It's unclear where the pieces were being taken. Crews were expected to return later Tuesday to finish removing the monument.

The monument had been the subject of a court battle between the city of Birmingham and the state before protesters tried to bring it down Sunday. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said the city faces a fine for violating a state law that bans the removal of Confederate and other long-standing monuments.

Woodfin said the cost of a fine would be more affordable than the cost of continued unrest in the city.

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