New Orleans takes down third Confederate monument
New Orleans takes down third Confederate monument
Fox News, Published May 17, 2017
New Orleans removes third Confederate statue
Workers in New Orleans removed a third Confederate monument from the city early Wednesday.
The statue of Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard on his horse was lifted off its base shortly after 3 a.m., Fox 8 reported.
Many historians have considered Beauregard the first notable general of the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
This was the third Confederate-era memorial the city has removed; officials have pledged to take down a monument of Robert E. Lee as well. The city has not given a time frame for Lee’s removal due to “intimidation, threats, and violence, serious safety concerns remain.”
“Today we take another step in defining our city not by our past but by our bright future,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a news release. “While we must honor our history, we will not allow the Confederacy to be put on a pedestal in the heart of New Orleans.”
Landrieu called for the memorials to be removed following the emotional aftermath of the Charleston church shootings. Dylann Roof, an avowed racist, shot and killed nine black parishioners at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Shortly after the massacre, a website Roof made was discovered. The website contained pictures of the killer posing with the Confederate battle flag in photos, recharging the debate over whether Confederate emblems represent racism or an honorable heritage.
The City Council voted 6-1 in 2015 to remove the monuments after a succession of contentious public meetings where impassioned monument supporters and opponents heckled each other. Contractors involved in the removal process were threatened and the work stalled for months as monument supporters looked to the courts for help.
Monument workers covered their faces and wore bulletproof vests and helmets for safety while removing the first two memorials of The White Rebellion and Jefferson Davis. On Wednesday, the workers still wore helmets and covered their face during the removal process but the scene was more subdued.
Last month, during the removal of The White Rebellion, police arrested multiple protesters who were charged with disturbing the peace after a scuffle occurred at an event celebrating the removal of the memorial.
Local media displayed images of monument supporters waving Confederate battle flags while the opponents stood nearby peacefully.
“Mayor Landrieu’s actions are an insult to New Orleanians who came before us-the veterans widows, parents, children and citizens-who donated their personal money to build and place these monuments where they stand to honor the memory of their fallen family members,” said Pierre McGraw, President of the Monument Task Committee which has been advocating to keep the monuments.
But for many in this majority black city, the monuments represent a shameful part of the city and country’s history, and pay honor to a history of slavery and segregation.
The statues may be placed in a museum or another site at some point, “where they can be placed in their proper historical context from a dark period of American history,” city spokesman Tyronne Walker said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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It's hard for me not to be amused that there are people who think that if you hide the markers of your history they will no longer matter. I can understand it if it is a statue or monument to Adolf Hitler, but really, who can liken Beauregard or Lee to Hitler, as being so infamous that you are ashamed of them?
Canada also had a war similar in some ways to the American Civil War. It was the English vs the French, a battle was fought in the Plains of Abraham, and the British won.
"The Plains of Abraham changed the course of Canadian history in 1759. Today, you can walk in the footsteps of history where two cultures collided to create one country. On Sept. 13, 1759, two armies - the French led by General Montcalm and the British commanded by General Wolfe - faced off in a bloody battle here."
There are statues of General Montcalm in Canada, and there is absolutely no desire on the part of any Canadians to hide any glorification by monument or statue or otherwise of Montcalm or any other historical marker celebrating the losing side of the battle.
Statue of General Montcalm in Quebec, you will note that it is NOT defaced.
We have a public statue of a great American up where I live; Vince Lombardi.
I can understand it if it is a statue or monument to Adolf Hitler, but really, who can liken Beauregard or Lee to Hitler, as being so infamous that you are ashamed of them?
Why do you think people might be "ashamed" of Lee or other Confederate figures?
Because they are taking down statues of them, and hiding them in museums or in storage. Because they aren't symbolic of the ultra-PC that the local residents feel is obligatory.
Do they have any public statues in Israel dedicated to people who once helped to enslave them?
The Pyramids and other statues in Egypt still remain - nobody is taking them down. Israel is a different country so there is no relevance to the issue in your question. As it is Jews world wide remember the Egyptian slavery every year at their Passover Seders.
There is relevance, New Orleans is a majority black city.
Won't be long before the liberals will be calling to take down our tenth mountain division ski trooper statue because he is too white.
We see a lot of dumb comments on NT. The one just made above is near the top of the list.
These civil war statues were put up long after the civil war ended to symbolize white resistance to desegregation. Although the statutes may being back fond memories for the descendants of the white supremacists who fought to maintain slavery, they are an insult to the dessendants of those they enslaved. Putting them in a museum is kind. They should be melted down and recast as outdoor toilets for the homeless.