MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A crew removed a Confederate statue from a Memphis park Wednesday night after the city sold it to a private entity. 
 
 The City Council had earlier voted unanimously to sell two parks where Confederate statues were located and crews began working right away to remove a statue of Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. 
 
 The parks were sold to Greenspace Inc. for $1,000 each, The Commercial Appeal reported . Memphis Chief Legal Officer Bruce McMullen said Greenspace can legally remove the statues, which the city was unable to do. 
 
 Live video from Health Sciences Park captured cheers as the statue of Forrest was lifted off its marble base and placed on a flatbed truck late Wednesday. Police had cordoned off the area around the statue. 
 
 A statue of President Jefferson Davis is at Fourth Bluff Park, where police had blocked off surrounding streets. 
 
 McMullen said the statues would be stored in an undisclosed location. 
 
 Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland tweeted that the work underway in the parks complies with state law. 
 
 Earlier this month, the city filed a petition asking for judicial review of the Tennessee Historical Commission's denial of a request to remove the Forrest statue. 
 
 "I commend Mayor Strickland and the City Council for finding a way to legally remove statues from an era that is not representative of Memphis today and have remained an affront to most of the citizens of Memphis," U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Memphis, said in a statement. 
 
 Cities have tried to remove Confederate monuments after the racially motivated massacre of nine people at a black church in South Carolina and a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. 
 
 Protesters have called for the removal of the Forrest statue, saying it represents racism and bigotry. City leaders have discussed ways to relocate the statue and move his remains, which are buried under the monument. 
 
 Supporters of keeping the statue in place say it represents an important part of history. The Sons of Confederate Veterans in Memphis has said such monuments do not represent white supremacy and it would be a mistake to remove them. 
 
 "It is a deliberate attempt to avoid the state law and the city is breaking the law," Lee Millar with Sons of Confederate Veterans told WREG-TV on Wednesday. 
 
 Forrest was a slave trader, Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader who became influential in the city's growth after the Civil War. 
 
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 Information from: The Commercial Appeal, http://www.commercialappeal.com ||||| MEMPHIS — The City Council here voted Wednesday to sell two city parks with Confederate monuments, clearing the way for two statues to be removed before the city commemorates the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 
 
 Mayor Jim Strickland first announced the sales of Health Sciences Park and Memphis Park on Twitter. 
 
 “History is being made in Memphis tonight,” he said at a news conference later in the evening. 
 
 Health Sciences Park had a statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and an early member of the Ku Klux Klan, which was removed around 9 p.m. local time. 
 
 By 10:30 p.m., cranes had maneuvered into Memphis Park and around a statue of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War. About 15 minutes later, a crane hoisted the statue onto a truck as a crowd cheered and struck up songs, including “Hit the road Jack.” ||||| CLOSE On Wednesday, December 20, statues of Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jefferson Davis were removed from Memphis parks Wochit 
 
 Buy Photo December 20, 2017 - People gather to watch workers removing the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue from Health Sciences Park on Wednesday night. (Photo: Yalonda M. James / The Commercial Appeal)Buy Photo 
 
 The city of Memphis sold two public parks containing Confederate monuments to a nonprofit Wednesday in a massive, months-in-the-planning operation to take the statues down overnight. 
 
 The City Council unanimously approved the sale of Health Science Park, home of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, and its easement on Fourth Bluff Park, home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, for $1,000 each to Memphis Greenspace Inc. Fourth Bluff, or Memphis Park, is owned by a group called The Overton Heirs. 
 
 The sale — which is almost certain to result in a lawsuit from statue supporters — allows Greenspace to legally do what the city of Memphis cannot: Remove the statues from their visible perches in the parks, Chief Legal Officer Bruce McMullen said. He said they would be stored in an undisclosed location for security reasons. 
 
 CLOSE The statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis at Fourth Bluff Park in downtown Memphis was taken down Wednesday, Dec. 21. Video by Daniel Connolly/ The Commercial Appeal 
 
 "Health Sciences Park and Memphis Park have been sold," Mayor Jim Strickland said in a social media post soon after the vote. Operations on those sites tonight are being conducted by a private entity and are compliant with state law. We will have further updates later tonight." 
 
 More: Editorial: Memphis right to take down racist symbols 
 
 More: Mayor Strickland: Memphis Confederate statues are gone but challenges remain 
 
 More: Memphis Greenspace: Key player in removal of Confederate statues 
 
 The nonprofit, which is led by Shelby County Commissioner and attorney Van Turner, brought in a crane to remove the Forrest statue first at around 6 p.m. 
 
 Greenspace signed a contract with Strickland on Friday that requires them to continue operating the park as a park, McMullen confirmed Wednesday. He said he knew of no plans for the nonprofit to sell the parks back to the city. 
 
 After the vote, Memphis police quickly deployed from the riverfront area near the Interstate 40 welcome center in Downtown and cordoned off the parks with yellow crime scene tape. Crowds gathered at both locations as word spread via social media. 
 
 The statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest was lifted off its base at 9:01 p.m., suspended in the air and then settled on a truck. A chant of "the people united will never be defeated" spread through the crowd. 
 
 Buy Photo December 20, 2017 - Community organizer Tami Sawyer, #TakeEmDown901, raises her fist as workers remove the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue from Health Sciences Park on Wednesday night. (Photo: Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) 
 
 Council member Janis Fullilove, who voted for the ordinance, said it was a "crazy, crazy, crazy night." 
 
 "It's really going down in history that this is the night they are going to take the statues down," she said. "It's a historic moment. 
 
 City Council member Berlin Boyd came over and talked with reporters. 
 
 CLOSE A cement block is all that remains of where the Nathan Bedford Forrest was once located. Brad Vest / The Commercial Appeal 
 
 “We want to thank all of the business community,” he said at one point, and onlookers with grassroots activist group #TakeEmDown901 began taunting him for not acknowledging their efforts, which included several high-profile, well-attended protests. Some shouted insults and curses. Boyd finished talking and walked across the street. 
 
 More: The 9:01: The night the Memphis Confederate monuments came down 
 
 More: Memphis Confederate statues: Social media reaction 
 
 Tami Sawyer, a leader of #TakeEmDown901 and Democratic candidate for Shelby County Commission, credited the work of the activists who kept pressure on elected officials this year. 
 
 CLOSE Community organizer Tami Sawyer speaks about removal of Confederate monuments in Memphis. Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal 
 
 "This is thousands of people who came together to put names on petitions, to donate money and time ... to get arrested, to get people out of jail ... so here we are today as the year draws to a close seeing justice and righteousness happen," she said. "It means that can be possible for any of us on any of these issues as we continue to fight for equality and equity in Memphis. 
 
 After the Forrest statue was removed, she said #TakeEmDown901 is now #TookEmDown901. 
 
 Buy Photo December 20, 2017 - (From left to right) Taniah Jackson, 12, stands with her mother Janet Jackson, and sister Tatiana Jackson, 14, as they observe the removal of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Confederate statue from Health Sciences Park on Wednesday night. (Photo: Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) 
 
 “This is a step in the right direction. I am not sure it’s time to take a victory lap quite yet but this is definitely something to celebrate,” said the Rev. Earle Fisher, pastor of Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis. “We fought long and hard. We salute Tami Sawyer for her wonderful leadership, all of the people who have been a part of #TakeEmDown901 over the past several months, and all of the forerunners that were fighting these statues before many of us graduated from college." 
 
 Fisher said the measures that were taken by the city in order to remove the statues were things activists were proposing months ago. 
 
 Tennessee state Rep. Raumesh Akbari couldn’t stay home and watch this moment unfold on social media or television. 
 
 “This is something that happens once in a lifetime. When I heard the news, I was like, I want to be a part of this. I want to see with my own eyes. I don’t want to see it on Facebook, I don’t want to see it on the news. I want to be able to tell this story, for myself and for future generations.” 
 
 CLOSE County Commissioner Walter Bailey shares his thoughts on the removal of Confederate monuments in Memphis. Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal 
 
 She can’t predict how the legislature will react to Memphis finding a way around state law. 
 
 “I’m hoping that my colleagues in the state house respect the city and the decision it has made,” Arkbari said. “Honestly, each city needs to be able to do what’s best for themselves.” 
 
 U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Memphis, released this statement, referencing the graves of Forrest and his wife currently resting under the statue: 
 
 “I commend Mayor Strickland and the City Council for finding a way to legally remove statues from an era that is not representative of Memphis today and have remained an affront to most of the citizens of Memphis,” Cohen said. 
 
 Moments ago, I signed the ordinance that completed our sale of the parks. pic.twitter.com/LZH00Pa6cv — Mayor Jim Strickland (@MayorMemphis) December 21, 2017 
 
 “As we approach the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, it’s important that these relics of the Confederacy and defenders of slavery don’t continue to be displayed in prominent places in our city. Hopefully, the Forrests will be returned to their rightful and preferred burial spot — Elmwood Cemetery.” 
 
 The city hopes to move the graves eventually as well, back to their original burial plot in Elmwood. 
 
 Buy Photo December 20, 2017 - Workers prepare to remove the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue from Health Sciences Park on Wednesday evening. (Photo: Yalonda M. James / The Commercial Appeal) 
 
 Strickland has long said he would consider any "legal" options for removing the statues, but wouldn't say whether he considered immediate removal an option. 
 
 The vote Wednesday followed months of frustration for city officials fighting against the state's reams of red tape that kept the statues in place despite a wave of public opposition. Council member Edmund Ford Jr. proposed a substitute ordinance that was approved without being read before or immediately after the vote, leaving the crowd in the dark about its contents or the impending police blitz around the statues. 
 
 The vote doesn't violate state sunshine laws or, because of Turner's involvement as executive director of Greenspace, state or local conflict of interest rules, McMullen said. 
 
 The Tennessee Historical Commission voted Oct. 13 to deny the city's application to remove the Forrest statue, prompting the administration to appeal the decision to Chancery Court and, separately, to argue before an administrative law judge that the city has the authority to remove the statue without a waiver. The city filed for a waiver before the state legislature expanded the scope of Tennessee Heritage Protection Act in 2016 to include monuments of historical figures. 
 
 The administration supports removing both the Forrest statue and a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. 
 
 The removal of the Davis statue went faster than the Forrest statue. At about 10:45 p.m. it was dangling aloft by thick yellow straps from a crane, minutes later, the statue was settled onto the back of a truck. 
 
 The crowd of onlookers cheered and struck up songs, including “Na na na na / Na na na na / Hey hey / Goodbye!” 
 
 Workers attempting to remove at least one smaller monument inside the Riverside park where the Jefferson Davis statue stood. 
 
 With a misting rain falling, the evening’s drama appeared mostly over shortly after 11 p.m. 
 
 Buy Photo December 20, 2017 - Nathan Bedford Forrest's Confederate statue is removed from Health Sciences Park on Wednesday night. (Photo: Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal) 
 
 The City Council, then-council member Strickland included, voted in 2015 to remove the Forrest statue and to move the graves of he and his wife back to their original burial plot in Elmwood Cemetery. 
 
 The Forrest statue, installed in 1904, has a long and controversial history in Memphis. Forrest was, in his later life, a pillar of Memphis society who helped steer the city toward its defining industry of shipping. But he was also a pre-war slave trader, alleged war criminal, and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan — a group he later renounced. 
 
 Reporters Katie Fretland, Daniel Connolly and Linda Moore contributed to this report. 
 
 Reach Ryan Poe at poe@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter at @ryanpoe. 
 
 CLOSE Police activity at park where confederate monuments are coming down in Memphis Brad Vest / The Commercial Appeal 
 
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– Two Confederate statues came down in Memphis on a dramatic night that had been months in the planning. Statues of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest were removed from two parks Wednesday night after the city sold the parks to a nonprofit called Memphis Greenspace Inc. for $1,000 each, the Commercial Appeal reports. The City Council voted unanimously earlier Wednesday to sell the parks, a move that allowed the legal removal of the statues. The city had been barred from taking down the Confederate statues under the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act, which bans the removal or renaming of memorials on public land, the New York Times reports. In October, a state agency rejected the city's request to waive the heritage law and allow the removal of the two statues. The Greenspace nonprofit was incorporated the same month. Memphis Chief Legal Officer Bruce McMullen says the two statues will be stored in an undisclosed location, the AP reports. The Times reports that onlookers cheered as a crane lifted the statue of Forrest—a former slave trader, alleged war criminal, and early Ku Klux Klan member—from its pedestal, with some chanting "Hey hey! Ho ho! That racist statue has got to go." "History is being made tonight," said Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland in a long series of tweets explaining the move, which comes ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Memphis assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.