A large statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, will come down on Wednesday, coming months after Gov. Ralph Northam ordered its removal. The Civil War statue “will come down this week,” the Democrat governor said in a statement. “This is an important step in showing who we are and what we value as a Commonwealth.” The statue, which was made in France, weighs more than 10 tons, stands about 21 feet tall, and has been on a 40-foot-tall pedestal for about 130 years. Over the years, various groups have filed lawsuits with the aim of taking the Lee statue down. A contract signed in 1890 gave the state of Virginia control of the property and effectively prevented it from being removed. During last year’s riots and protests that were sparked by George Floyd’s death, the monument became the center of protests in the city. Vandals and rioters …