Confederate Symbol Controversy: New Orleans Historic Commission Votes To

Shortly after the controversy, Landrieu urged New Orleans to destroy its Confederate landmarks-most notably, the statue of Robert E. Lee on top of a towering pedestal in the center of Lee Circle in downtown New Orleans.

“This is about more than the men represented in these statues”.

A mayoral proposal to remove four Confederate monuments in New Orleans quickly became the latest flashpoint in a national debate over the place of Confederate symbols in the country, as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced he would investigate his authority to block their removal. “Our history before and after the Civil War should not be neglected, nor our identity defined by the Confederacy – our identity is much broader and richer than these symbols”.

Not everyone agrees with the mayor.

Thomas Schwenk, who wants the monuments removed, said, “We can not deny that the Southern secession was over slavery”. He sent out a robocall to phones across the area, calling for people to show up and voice their concerns.

Ashley Merlin, author of “Statuesque New Orleans”, a book of photographs of the city, said that the monuments offered an important lesson in history and art.

“I think that’s really showing the wrong focus and the wrong priorities”, Vitter said.

For others at the commissions’ meeting, statues are just the start.

The Historic District Landmarks Commission recommended moving four of the city’s Confederate Monuments on Thursday.

But Judy Reese Morse, New Orleans deputy mayor for citywide initiatives, who spoke at one of Thursday’s hearings, criticized the ideology that had prompted the statues to be erected.

The Lieutenant Governor’s Office, which oversees historic preservation in the state, is unaware of any laws that would allow state government to interfere with decisions Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the City Council make about monuments on property that the city owns, said Jacques Berry, spokesman for the office. The City Council has not scheduled a date to vote on the issue.