An old slave auction block has been pulled from the ground of the city of Fredericksburg in Virginia after angry protesters rallied around the stone and sprayed graffiti on it.

The controversial 176-year-old auction block stood on a street corner in Fredericksburg where once African American slaves were being displayed to the public.

Since the death of George Floyd and consecutive Black Lives Matter protests, the protesters targeted the stone with graffiti on two occasions whereas they chanted “move the block” as they rallied around the auction stone and demanded its removal.

Following the protests, the officials announced the stone would be removed and get a new home at Fredericksburg Area Museum.

Praising the protesters for contributing to the decision to have the 176-year-old auction block removed was councilman Chuck Frye Jr. who in an interview with CNN expressed:

“I think it really hit home when there were hundreds of people at the block saying: ‘Move it.’”

According to the reports, the debate about whether the infamous auction block should be removed or not had been around for years.

“I think racist folks loved it, historians understood it, and black people were intimidated,” councilman Frye added.

While the City Council voted on the stone’s removal back in 2017, Frye was the only member who wished to see the block removed. As the Council ruled, the block was to be kept and accompanied by a text for a historical context.

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Replaced!