New Orleans to remove statues
NEW ORLEANS: The city is preparing to remove the first of four prominent Confederate monuments today, the latest Southern institution to sever itself from symbols viewed by many as a representation racism and white supremacy.
Workers will arrive and begin removing the first memorial – one that commemorates whites who tried to topple a biracial post-Civil War government in New Orleans – at around 1.25am in an attempt to
avoid disruption from supporters
who want the monuments to stay,
some of whom city officials said have made death threats.
Workers who inspected the statue ahead of its removal yesterday could be seen wearing flak jackets and helmets.
Police officers watched the area from atop the parking garage of a nearby hotel.
Three other statues to Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard and Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis will also be removed now that legal challenges have been overcome.
“There’s a better way to use the property these monuments are on and a way that better reflects who we are,” said New Orleans
Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Nationally, the debate over Confederate symbols has become heated since nine parishioners were killed at a black church in South Carolina in June 2015.
South Carolina removed the Confederate flag from its statehouse grounds in the weeks after, and several Southern cities have since considered removing monuments. The University of Mississippi took down its state flag because it includes the Confederate emblem.
New Orleans is a majority African-American city, although the number of black residents has fallen since 2005’s Hurricane Katrina drove many people from the city. — AP