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Controversial statues of historical figures with racist or oppressive pasts are going down -- and the latest target is Christopher Columbus.

Two statues of the infamous Italian explorer -- credited (though incorrectly) with discovering the Americas, and ruining the lives of indigenous people -- were vandalized beyond recognition (or sight) in Boston and Richmond, VA Tuesday evening ... and for now, they'll be MIA.

In Virginia, CC's monument was found toppled over and dunked in a lake at Byrd Park -- this after protesters there reportedly set it ablaze and demanded it be taken down. Some folks had signs decrying what Columbus represents to some -- genocide, thievery, etc.

Eventually, the thing was stripped down from its pedestal with ropes ... and then rolled over to the nearby water, where it stayed overnight. Officials removed it early Wednesday and took it to a secure location. Cops say no arrests were made over the vandalism.

That wasn't the only place that let ol' Chris have it -- out in Beantown, vandals there too did away with a statue of the man ... but did so in pieces, starting with his whole noggin.

Yes ... somebody beheaded the statue, and it's also been removed from where it stood in North End Park ... with discussions currently in place on whether to bring it back anytime soon. The head was left nearby on the ground, as police taped off the scene.

This, of course, comes on the heels of Brits rolling a statue of slave trader Edward Colston into the harbor there from across the pond ... and let's not forget King Louis XVI out in Kentucky.

Not only that ... but a statue of Robert E. Lee in Virginia, no less, has also become a flashpoint of controversy lately. The governor there vowed to have it removed amid the protests, but a judge just temporarily blocked that move, after someone sued to stop it.

Normally idyllic and ritzy Bel-Air looks totally apocalyptic now as a massive brush fire is raging in the hills.

More than 200 L.A. firefighters were on the scene early Wednesday morning near the 405 Freeway as a wildfire scorched at least 50 acres. The brush fire broke out just after midnight in the Sepulveda Pass ... near the famous Getty Center museum.

By 3 AM, L.A. fire officials said they'd made significant progress, although 2 firefighters who helped with the battle were injured and treated at the scene.

There's some relief in sight for firefighters too ... though L.A. temperatures are in the 90s now... they're expected too cool off heading into the weekend.

Still, this Bel-Air blaze is eerily similar to the one that raged out of control back in December 2017. As we reported ... that fire burned just steps away from famous homes and the BILLIONS of dollars worth of art inside the Getty Center.

The white man who disgustingly imitated George Floyd's homicide in front of Black Lives Matter protesters is a FedEx employee, and the stunt could cost him his job.

Our sources tell us James DeMarco is one of the men seen in video mocking Floyd's death Monday as protesters marched past him in Franklin Township, NJ ... and he's been suspended from work pending a company investigation.

Honchos at FedEx tell TMZ ... "The behavior depicted in the video, which involved a FedEx employee, is appalling and offensive. The employee in question was immediately removed from all FedEx work duties while our investigation is concluded and all internal procedures are followed."

The shipping giant adds ... "A diverse and inclusive workforce is at the heart of our business, and we stand with those who support justice and equality."

As you can see, the peaceful protesters were flanked by police as they marched past a group of men mocking Floyd's death in front of Trump flags, American flags, a "Thin Blue Line" flag and an "All Lives Matter" sign. The group, which included one man kneeling on another's neck, shouted at protesters.

The footage drew tons of heat on social media and a rebuke from the town's mayor and police chief, who said they were "appalled and saddened by the revolting actions of certain individuals."

One of DeMarco's pals, also in the video, was identified as a South Jersey corrections officer, and the NJ Department of Corrections says he's been benched pending an investigation.

The attorney for one of the cops charged with aiding and abetting in the murder of George Floyd made a shocking, ridiculous claim -- that the civilian bystanders who watched Floyd die should have intervened. But, that argument will backfire in spectacular fashion.

Earl Gray, the lawyer for fired officer and current defendant Thomas Lane, told Chris Cuomo on CNN Monday night ... if the bystanders were so outraged they should have stepped in. Cuomo was indignant ... the notion bystanders would intervene against four armed police officers is outrageous.

Think about it though ... what Gray is conceding is that there was clear excessive force -- otherwise, why would he advocate for civilian intervention? If there is clear excessive force -- which there was -- then his client would have a greater duty than any civilian to stop it. To yank Derek Chauvin off George Floyd ... and that's precisely the reason Thomas Lane was charged.

Monday's memorial proved even more historic after Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo declared Tuesday, June 9 George Floyd Day throughout their area.

The people of Houston are paying their respects to George Floyd in his hometown -- a public viewing will be followed by his final memorial service ... and TMZ's streaming it live.

The ceremony is being held at the Fountain of Praise Church. The public will have a chance to see George's casket ahead of the memorial service.

This marks the third of four memorials that have been planned and carried out for George -- you'll recall, he was honored in Minneapolis last week (where he was killed) and then again in North Carolina (his birth state) over the weekend. Now, he'll be remembered in H-Town, where he grew up.

The man's death has touched millions of people around the world -- having sparked international protests and demonstrations in his name ... and could lead to the dismantling of Minneapolis' police department ... and possibly other cities as well.

The cops involved in his killing have been criminally charged -- namely, Derek Chauvin ... who's facing second-degree murder for having his knee on George's neck for nearly 9 minutes. The other 3 officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, have also been charged with felonies, aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Rest in Peace, George.

Joe Biden is in Houston to pay his respects to George Floyd, and also took time to sit and listen to George's family members express their pain.

According to the Floyd family lawyer, Ben Crump, the presidential hopeful met privately with George's family and listened to them for more than an hour.

Crump says, "Listening to one another is what will begin to heal America" and during the meeting, Biden "listened, heard their pain, and shared in their woe." He adds, "That compassion meant the world to this grieving family."

Biden was photographed after the meeting with George's uncle, Roger Floyd, along with Crump, Rev. Al Sharpton and Rep. Cedric Richmond.

The former VP will also tape a video message for Floyd's funeral service Tuesday in Houston, but will not be attending because he doesn't want to cause disruptions with Secret Service protection. The first part of Floyd's hometown memorial, a public viewing session, is currently underway.

Biden's been vocal and supportive of the nationwide protests in George's honor. President Trump has also said he supports peaceful protesting and even suggested on Friday, George is smiling down on America.

Scary moment for NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace -- who PASSED OUT during a post-race interview Sunday ... and the whole thing went down on live TV.

... but good news, he's OKAY!!

Wallace had just completed the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway -- where the temperature was above 85 all day long with high humidity.

When reporter Jamie Little began asking Bubba about the race -- he finished 21st -- Wallace began to nod off in a scary way. It was obvious something was wrong.

A crew member immediately called for the medical crew -- and Little says, "He's not okay" ... before the broadcast cut away from the shot.

Wallace was taken to the infield care center for treatment -- and at one point, he was seen laying down on a stretcher.

The good news ... Wallace has recovered and late Sunday night, he issued a statement on Twitter.

"Got sent to the Gulag ... Won that ... Where we dropping. Aka I’m good."

So, what happened?

Earlier in the broadcast ... Wallace had said he felt "lightheaded" -- insisting he had "sat down and got up too fast."

Wallace -- the only black driver who competes in the NASCAR Cup Series -- made headlines before the race by wearing an "I Can't Breathe" shirt, a show of support to George Floyd.

NASCAR President Steve Phelps also spoke about racial issues -- after all 40 drivers had pulled over and turned off their engines during warm-up laps, Phelps delivering a message over their radio sets.

"Our country is in pain and people are justifiably angry, demanding to be heard," Phelps said.

Members of the Minneapolis City Council say they're overruling Mayor Jacob Frey and WILL commit to dismantling their police department -- meaning, get rid of it completely.

The stunning announcement was made Sunday, with nine out of thirteen members coming out in support of the idea, which gives them a majority that can't be vetoed by Mayor Frey.

So, what does it mean exactly? Welp, the council members admit it won't be an immediate change -- but make no mistake, they say when the dust settles, Minneapolis will not have a traditional police department.

The alternative, according to them, is community-based safety ... a term they've yet to fully explain.

The announcement comes the day after Mayor Frey was publicly shamed for refusing to, as he put it, "fully abolish" the police department.

That's what he said when put on the spot by a rally organizer ... and that response got him booed off the street, as he walked through a sea of middle fingers in his face.

This new development -- less than 2 weeks after George Floyd was killed -- is potentially monumental if Minneapolis actually does it and makes it work.

Here's an example of true healing playing out in a very biblical sense -- a group of white police officers and other community members came together to wash their black brother's and sister's feet ... and asked for forgiveness.

Check out this moving scene that was captured Saturday in Cary, North Carolina ... where, during BLM demonstrations, a handful of white folks came together to clean the feet of black religious leaders, while offering a prayer repenting for the sins inflicted on black people at large.

There's one man with a megaphone leading the prayer, and he acknowledges there's one race of people ... going on to ask for forgiveness for their white ancestors enslaving, mistreating and oppressing African-Americans.

Jeff Bezos just schooled an All Lives Matter supporter with a crash course on Black Lives Matter ... because lots of people apparently still don't get the point.

The Amazon honcho says he got an email from a customer complaining about his company's support for #BLM ... and his response breaks down the movement pretty well for the misinformed yet to come around.

As you can see ... the upset customer, Macy, was triggered when she went to Amazon's website and found a banner message explaining the company's commitment to #BLM and what it's doing to stand in solidarity with the black community.

Macy hit Jeff with the usual All Lives Matter talking points ... saying she's all for people voicing their opinions and standing for what they believe in, but then added she feels disrespected by Amazon's BLM support.

Jeff eloquently explained to Macy why he disagreed ... saying BLM doesn't mean other lives don't matter, and it's really about the "racism and disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system."

Bezos goes on to say he doesn't worry about his own son being choked to death in police custody ... something he points out black parents can't say.

Jeff also tells Macy BLM is not "intended to dismiss or minimize the very real worries you or anyone else might have in their own life" ... and says her email won't change his views.

An apparent agitator in the middle of a peaceful protest's car is burned out ... after the firework he tried to leave got thrown back into his car by a protester.

The crazy incident went down Tuesday in Riverside, CA after a man pulled into the middle of the street, stepped out and laid down what looks like a Molotov cocktail. You can see from the video the stunt immediately backfired on him because a protester -- trying to keep the march peaceful -- grabbed the smoking bottle and tried tossing it right back into dude's car!!!

The agitator made a failed attempt to get it out of the vehicle but ended up ducking for cover. The bottle never actually made it inside the car but it fired directly into the car's interior and you can see the fireworks go off. You can also see the unattended car roll in reverse before some good folks jumped in and put the car in park.

It's a stark illustration of what's been happening in a lot of the protests over George Floyd's death at the hands of ex-cop Derek Chauvin.

Peaceful demonstrations interrupted by agitators trying to amp up violence. This time peaceniks fought back.

Hollywood is showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement ... with tons of huge celebs taking to the streets of Los Angeles to protest in the wake of George Floyd's death.

Machine Gun Kelly carried a sign that read, "Stop Arresting Protesters! Arrest Killer Cops!!" as he marched alongside Travis Barker, who had his own sign saying, "NO JUSTICE NO PEACE."

Logan Paul reunited with his ex, Josie Canseco, for the protest through Hollywood ... and Halsey walked alongside her ex, Yungblud, for their second L.A. protest together. As you can see, Logan busted out a "BLACK LIVES MATTER" sign.

Other celebs joining the massive protest included ... Emily Ratajkowski and her husband, Sebastian McClard, plus Mod Sun, Cara Santana, DeRay Davis and Tinashe.

Ben Affleck and girlfriend Ana De Armas also joined the protest ranks ... with Ben carrying signs in support of #BLM and a Baptist church in Venice.

President Donald Trump has declared war on peaceful protests, doubling down Monday night with military helicopters buzzing a crowd of protesters after soldiers pepper sprayed them and shot them with rubber bullets.

It was a shocking scene ... first, as Trump was delivering his law-and-order speech -- preparing for his bizarre walk across the street from The White House -- the military outside the gates began attacking the crowd. It was violent and swift, and mind it, this was BEFORE the D.C. curfew went into effect.

Trump then walked across the street to St. John's Episcopal Church, which was partially set on fire the night before. He stood there with a bible ... and there's not much doubt why he did it. Trump was reportedly ticked off when reports surfaced he was taken to a bunker for his safety over the weekend.

The bishop of the church is appalled at Trump's stunt, saying it's antithetical to the bible.

As for the military helicopters ... they were flying so low the rotors were kicking up dirt, which made the crowd disperse. This is a tactic usually used by military jets in war zones.

BTW ... as for Trump's claim he can call in the military to cities and states where there's violence. No, he can't. He needs the permission of the governors, and some have already said no thank you.

An NYPD officer was hit by a car and propelled in the air during disturbances early Tuesday morning in the Bronx.

An unmarked police car was responding to a commercial burglary at around 12:45 AM when cops saw a bunch of people at the location. A sergeant got out of his car and just as he stepped out a black sedan peeled off, striking the Sgt. ... hurling him into the air.

The sergeant -- a 30-year veteran of the NYPD -- was taken to the hospital where he's in serious but stable condition. Cops are looking for the sedan and the occupants.

A white woman tagging 'BLM' graffiti on a building was egged on by none other than cops from 8-feet away ... who seemed to be telling her to include the name of George Floyd.

The video was shot in what appears to be downtown Los Angeles, where an LAPD squad car is parked up next to a curb alongside a lady who's going to town with spray paint, tagging "BLM" messaging on the side of a building's windows ... taking up at least 3 panes.

While the person who recorded this was filming from across the street, you can still make out the cops apparently instructing the woman to make sure to include George Floyd's name in her graffiti ... at one point, even seemingly telling her how to spell it correctly.

She heard the message loud and clear, and sure enough ... went ahead and tagged "Floyd" on the window as well. The officers are just standing by and watching the entire time. The person who posted this says they were laughing too, but we can't quite make that out.

In any case, it's an utter disgrace ... regardless of what the context is, which we're sure LAPD brass will be scrambling to reach for now that this is out. Policemen literally encouraging active criminal activity right in front of their faces -- ya can't excuse it.

We've seen "bad actors" screwing with the protests and hijacking the message under the guise of justice -- but this takes it to a new level. Some cops appear to be in on it too.

Liverpool F.C. players decided to team up and send a powerful sign of support on Monday ... with the whole team taking a knee together to honor George Floyd.

LFC shared the image of 29 players kneeling near the center of the field at the Anfield stadium ... featuring the words "Unity is strength. #BlackLivesMatter."

The players reportedly came up with the idea to kneel as a sign of support for the movement while training ... and several players like Virgil van Dijk, James Milner and Andy Robertson have also shared the impactful shot

The gesture adds to the global outcry for justice ... with celebrities and athletes coming together to protest following Floyd's death.

Jadon Sancho of Dortmund also dedicated one of his goals to Floyd over the weekend ... wearing a shirt that read "Justice for George Floyd."