(CBS News) Montana's capital city on Friday removed a memorial to Confederate soldiers that has been in a public park since 1916 after officials deemed it a threat to public safety in light of last weekend's violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
A small group of people opposing the fountain's removal in Helena had stood watch through the night. About 20 people gathered to protest Friday, CBS affiliate KXLH reports.
Police said two people were arrested, but later released, after defying orders to leave the site while crews began dismantling the granite fountain donated to the city more than a century ago by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. One of the women arrested told KXLH the fountain is a "beautiful piece of art."
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"It was not given to the city, it was given to the citizens of the city," Patricia Sorenson told KXLH.
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