KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Crews are removing an 83-year-old Confederate memorial from a grassy arear along a Kansas City thoroughfare.

Workers began taking down the 9-foot tall monument with benches on either side Friday morning. The Missouri Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy asked Kansas City Parks and Recreation officials to move the monument to a place of safety. The request came after someone painted what appeared to be a red hammer and sickle on the “Loyal Women of the Old South” memorial last week.

Crews covered it with plywood boards Sunday to prevent further graffiti until it could be relocated.

The memorial was erected in 1934 to recognize women who supported the Confederacy. A private, anonymous donor is paying for the removal.