Fiery debates ensue over removal of Confederate statues

17th August 2015   ·   0 Comments

After giving dozens of residents an opportunity to weigh in on the controversial issue of whether the City of New Orleans should remove Confederate statues from public spaces, the Historic District Landmark Commission voted Thursday to recommend to the City Council that four monuments to Confederate-era leaders be moved from their current locations.

While the commission’s recommendation holds some weight, there are more meetings with more commissions before a final decision is made.

Residents from all walks of life weighed in on the issue passionately Thursday, with Black and white residents on both sides of the issue.

The meeting in the City Council Chamber showed just how differently these Confederate statues are viewed by various members of the community. Some called the statues racially offensive and ply historical markers or tributes to their ancestors.

WWL reported that the meeting was part of a series of meetings requested by Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who favors removing the monuments that include the iconic Lee Circle, statues to P.T. Beauregard and Jefferson Davis and the Liberty Monument.

Those who support the removal of the monuments argued that they do not represent the majority of the city.

Thomas Schwenk, who wants the monuments removed, said, “We cannot deny that the Southern secession was over slavery. The monuments are a defense of slavery.”

His opinion was echoed by a few dozen citizens, both Black and white, though overwhelmingly African-American.

Those in favor of the monuments argued that their historical value outweighs any nuisance quality, that they would cost too much to remove and that the city has bigger problems.

The City’s Human Relations Commission heard more of the same from residents on both sides of the issue Thursday evening before deciding to support the proposal to remove these monuments from public spaces. It did so despite remarks from one white resident who said the proposal asks him to hate his ancestors.

Public meetings to talk about the future of these Confederate monuments will begin Thursday, August 13.

Last month, Landrieu asked the council to begin a legal process of labeling the monuments as “nuisances.”

Both Louisiana Gov. Piyush “Bobby” Jindal and Louisiana gubernatorial candidate and current U.S. Sen. David Vitter said last week that they opposed removing the monuments from their current locations.

Some residents support Lan­drieu’s measure while others feel removing the statues could erase and censor the city’s history.

“It will be interesting to see how certain members of the City Council — the ones who can’t seem to do anything without the direction and approval of the white business community — vote on this issue,” the Rev. Raymond Brown, a community activist and president of National Action Now, told The Louisiana Weekly. “I will be waiting and watching these proceedings very closely along with other grassroots and civil rights organizations.”

“As far as I’m concerned, they could keep these monuments where they are,” Sean Martin, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity from Baltimore who was visiting New Orleans for the fraternity’s Inter­national Conclave last week, told The Louisiana Weekly. “Let them stay so that we can be constantly reminded what we are up against.”

Ramessu Merriamen Aha, a New Orleans businessman and former congressional candidate, agreed with that sentiment but added this: “This is all just one big distraction. While we are arguing and debating this issue, the powers that be are gathering to come up with strategies to strip us of even more of our voting and constitutional rights.

“Instead of using our time and energy focusing on tearing down these monuments to racist Confederate-era ‘heroes,’ we should be fully committed to dismantling the systemic racism that continues to negatively impact our lives, liberty and dignity.”

This article originally published in the August 17, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.