That is why again today on behalf of New Orleanians going back through the centuries-free and enslaved, rich and poor, white and black, creole, Native American, and so many others-let us move these divisive Confederate monuments to a Civil War park or museum.
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The statue of Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard was cleaned Monday by a City contractor after it was vandalized over the weekend.
Divergent views on what should happen to Confederate monuments in New Orleans are being voiced at a lively, and sometimes disorderly, city council meeting.
Landrieu requested the vote to banish specters of racism. The statues are unconstitutional, said the proposed ordinance marked Calendar No. 31,082.
“Others said the council should go further and remove statues and change street names they say are associated with “white supremacy”. He says keeping them would limit the city’s progress.
People demonstrate for and against the Confederate monuments in front of City Hall this month.
One prominent artist who wanted the figures gone also skirted the issue of race.
“I am happy and impressed that we have a white mayor who understands a little bit what it means to be an African American and he’s on our side on this”, said Councilman James Gray, according to Nola. “But we have all lost”.
“The Lee Monument, the Beauregard equestrian monument, the Jefferson Davis monument and the Liberty Monument were explicitly erected to preserve, foster and promote the historic and cultural origins of the citizens of New Orleans and the residents of Louisiana”, the suit reads.
A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee has anchored a New Orleans traffic circle for more than 130 years. It was originally called Tivoli Circle.
Landrieu said he picked these four monuments because “these are the ones that matter most to the city now”. An obelisk marking the Battle of Liberty Place in the city will also come down.
Former mayors, including Landrieu’s father, Moon Landrieu, have attempted to have this monument removed or altered. That park, he said, would be a place where “history can be remembered and not revered”.
The plaintiffs argue that federal money to pay for streetcar work makes the lines part of a transportation network that encompasses the city and that federal dollars would, in turn, have been spent on projects that could have damaged the monuments since three of the four are near streetcar lines.
“My decision has little to do with these men or the content of their character, but it has to do with who put these things up and why”, Council President Jason Williams said in his closing remarks.
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New Orleans reflects the national mood.
