THE “OLD LINER” NEWSLETTER PGT Beauregard pedestal in the heart of New worked in the dark of night to remove Orleans." that monument. Confederate statue Three down, one Confederate statue Landrieu said the statues will be put comes down in New left in storage while the city looks for a Three monuments have been suitable place to display them, such Orleans dismantled since the New Orleans as a museum. The city secured By Jamiel Lynch and Darran Simon, City Council in 2015 voted to remove private funding to remove the CNN, May 17, 2017 four Confederate landmarks. Recent monuments, the mayor's office has The City of New Orleans early court decisions paved the way for the said. Wednesday removed one of the two city to relocate the monuments after But backlash has been building remaining Confederate monuments years of heated public debate and against removing Confederate that had been scheduled to come legal fights. monuments. down. A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert The Louisiana House passed a bill The equestrian statue of Confederate E. Lee is the last monument Monday that would prohibit local Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant scheduled to be removed and governments from removing war Beauregard honors the military leader relocated. memorials, including those from the who died in New Orleans in 1893. It is Beauregard's statue, near City Park, Civil War. the third monument to come down in was erected in 1915 in honor of the House Bill 71 allows local the city. prominent general who led the attack governments to take down a Earlier Tuesday, police put up on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, a memorial only if voters approve the barricades near the monument, CNN siege that marked the beginning of action at "an election held for that affiliate WGNO reported. Protesters the Civil War. purpose." The proposal passed in a both for and against the statue In 2015, the words "Black Lives 65-31 vote and heads to the state's gathered at the site as the work Matter" were spray-painted on both Senate. started that evening. Shortly after 3 sides of the monument's column, Beyond New Orleans a.m. Wednesday, crew workers CNN affiliate WDAM-TV reported. The effort to remove the New Orleans yanked the Beauregard statue from Last week, the city removed a 6-foot monuments is part of larger its perch and lowered it to a truck as statue of Confederate President controversy surrounding Confederate scattered cheers broke out. Jefferson Davis from its pedestal. The symbols in cities nationwide. Some Davis statue stood atop a roughly 12- argue the monuments symbolize foot column and depicted him with his racial injustice and slavery. right arm outstretched, towering over Supporters say the monuments are the street also named after him. part of history and heritage. The issue Davis lived in New Orleans after the rose to prominence after the 2015 Civil War and died there in 1889. The massacre of nine black statue was dedicated in 1911. In parishioners at the historically black 2004, the words "slave owner" were Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal painted on the monument's base. church in Charleston, South Carolina, Last month, the city dismantled the by a self-described white supremacist. Crews begin removing the Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard monument in City Park in New Orleans late first of the four monuments: an Efforts to remove Confederate Tuesday under cover of darkness. (Matthew obelisk commemorating the Battle of statues are underway in other parts of Hinton/The Advocate via AP) Liberty Place. The monument marked the South. a deadly fight between members of In Charlottesville, Virginia, the city "Today we take another step in the Crescent City White League, a council voted narrowly in February to defining our city not by our past but group opposed to the city's biracial remove a bronze statue of by our bright future," Mayor Mitch police force, and state militia after the Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Landrieu said in a statement. "While Civil War. and to rename Lee Park, where the we must honor our history, we will not Amid security threats, contractors statue stands. allow the Confederacy to be put on a wearing masks and tactical vests BALTIMORE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE THE “OLD LINER” NEWSLETTER That move triggered protests over the Terence Blanchard was on the scene bridge, building, park, or area, that weekend, starting with one on at 3 a.m., using his phone to record has been dedicated in memory of Saturday in which torch-carrying the moment. Blanchard, an African- 19 or named for any historical demonstrators were led by white American born in New Orleans who military figure, historical military nationalist Richard Spencer -- has won multiple Grammys and also event, military organization, or evoking swift criticisms that the scored Spike Lee’s movies, said he military unit shall be altered, gathering evoked images of the Ku had just come into town when he removed, relocated, destroyed, Klux Klan. A counter-protest was held read that the monument was coming rededicated, or renamed. on Sunday night. down. Although the measure lists every war In St. Louis, Missouri, Mayor Lyda “It’s a historic moment,” Blanchard its authors could think of, observers Krewson has committed to removing said, according to the Times- agreed that it was aimed at the Civil a 32-foot tall Confederate monument Picayune. “This is something I never War. The bill, which now goes to the from a park. Her spokesman Koran thought I’d see in my lifetime. It’s a state Senate, does provide for Addo said they're looking for the right sign that the world is changing.” changing or removing such place to house the 40-ton statue But Louisiana lawmakers don’t see it monuments “if a proposition before they remove it. The cost could that way. authorizing the action has been extend over $100,000. The House voted 65-31 on Monday to approved by a majority of the voters In Orlando, Florida, Mayor Buddy prohibit the removal of Civil War who vote on the proposition at an Dyer said he plans to move the monuments – a move that so election held for that purpose.” marble statue known as "Johnny angered the House Black Caucus The removal of the Beauregard Reb" from a park to a cemetery. The that all 24 members walked out in statue in New Orleans, which stood at issue remained contentious during a protest. the Esplanade near the entrance to City Council meeting this week, Rep. Terry Landry, a Democrat and City Park, was the third such according to the Orlando Sentinel. member of the black caucus, said the overnight action by the city since Louisiana House votes members had no choice but to Mayor Mitch Landrieu ordered the walk, according to the Advocate of removal of four monuments glorifying to stop removal of Baton Rouge. the Confederacy. Confederate statues day “It was disgusting,” Landry told the As in the first two operations, workers Advocate. “We just couldn’t stay. You were wearing bulletproof vests and before Beauregard have to stand for something.” other protective gear and were statue removed HB71 says, in part: covered by police. Supporters and AJC staff, The Atlanta Journal- 915. Military memorial opponents of the removal Constitution, May 17, 2017 conservation demonstrated as the statue was lifted The day after the Louisiana House 11 A. (1) No memorial, including off. voted to stop the removal of war any structure, plaque, statue, or The city first removed an obelisk memorials and monuments in the monument, that is located on dedicated to the Crescent City White state, the city of New Orleans on public property and that League, which engaged in a deadly Wednesday dismantled the commemorates the Revolutionary battle with the city’s biracial police equestrian statue of Confederate Gen. War, War of 1812, Mexican- force in 1891. Last week the city took P.G.T. Beauregard. American War, War Between the down a statue of Jefferson Davis, Starting late Tuesday evening and States, Spanish-American War, which stood at the intersection of working well into Wednesday morning, World War I, World War II, Korean Canal Street and Jefferson Davis crews used a crane to pull the six- to War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf Boulevard. seven-ton statue of Beauregard War, War in Iraq, or any Native RELATED astride his horse from its pedestal, American War shall be altered, Still to come is the removal of the the Times-Picayne reported, and also removed, relocated, or destroyed. soaring statue of Robert E. Lee, removed the nameplate. (2) No public memorial, including which represents the greatest The New Orleans newspaper said the any structure, plaque, statue, challenge by far to the removal noted jazz trumpeter and composer monument, 18 school, street, crew. Emporis, the website that BALTIMORE CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE THE “OLD LINER” NEWSLETTER catalogs the height of structures, says In Orlando, Florida, commissioners In June 2015, vandals painted "Black the Lee statue, and the column on are discussing whether to remove a lives matter" on Confederate which it stands, is 108 feet tall. statue recognizing Confederate monuments in a half-dozen states, The Louisiana controversy continues veterans from a downtown park, including the one in St. Louis. The even as the city of Charlottesville, Va., despite the objections of Confederate incidents came a week after nine has its own debate over the proposed flag-waving protesters. black congregants at a Charleston, removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. South Carolina, church, where killed The debate devolved into a racist in a racially motivated attack.