Georgia city dismantling Confederate monument from 1872

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Workers have begun dismantling a monument to Confederate soldiers in Athens, Georgia, that has stood in the median of a busy street since 1872.

A city crew using bucket lifts began taking down sections of the marble obelisk late Monday and continued working Tuesday morning.

Athens-Clarke County Commissioners voted in June to move the monument in order to make room for a wider pedestrian crosswalk near the University of Georgia campus.

A lawsuit was filed over the planned removal, but a judge declined to grant an injunction to stop work from beginning.

City officials say it could take several nights for the entire monument to come down.