Local leaders are gaining more support in their push to remove symbols of the Confederacy in Brooklyn following the church massacre in South Carolina last week. 

 

Ministers from Al Sharpton's National Action Network say they're outraged over the naming of General Lee Avenue on federal property at the Fort Hamilton Army Base. The street recognizes Confederate Army Gen. Robert E. Lee. 

NAN leaders say Lee remains a symbol of the Confederacy, which still has the power to influence people, such as Dylann Roof, the alleged white supremacist accused of fatally shooting nine people inside a historic black church in Charleston. 

Lee served at the military base before the Civil War.

A U.S. Army spokesperson said in a statement, "Every Army installation is named for a soldier who holds a place in our military history. Accordingly, these historic names represent individuals, not causes or ideologies. It should be noted that the naming occurred in the spirit of reconciliation and not division."

Many Brooklyn leaders are also calling for the renaming of Stonewall Jackson Drive, located on the military base as well, after Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.