Mayor Mitch Landrieu Issues Statement on Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Decision on Confederate Monuments Case
NEW ORLEANS —Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued the following statement on the decision made by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on the Confederate Monuments case:
“Today the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the City’s
ability to control its property. This win today will allow us to begin to
turn a page on our divisive past and chart the course for a more inclusive
future. Moving the location of these monuments—from prominent public
places in our city where they are revered to a place where they can be
remembered—changes only their geography, not our history. Symbols matter and
should reflect who we are as a people. These monuments do not now, nor have
they ever reflected the history, the strength, the richness, the diversity or
the soul of New Orleans.
“These monuments will be preserved until an appropriate place to
display them is determined.
“Once removed, we will have the opportunity to join together and
select new unifying symbols that truly reflect who we are today,” said Mayor Landrieu.
In February 2015, Mayor Landrieu signed an ordinance calling for the relocation of four Confederate monuments from prominent locations in New Orleans. The four monuments are: the Robert E. Lee statue at Lee Circle, the Jefferson Davis statue on Jefferson Davis Parkway, the P.G.T Beauregard equestrian statue on Esplanade at the entrance to City Park and the Battle of Liberty Place Monument at Iberville Street.
During a Special Meeting of the New Orleans City Council, Ordinance Calendar No. 31,082 was considered at the request of Councilmembers Jason Rogers Williams, Jared C. Brossett, James Austin Gray II and Nadine M. Ramsey. This ordinance declared that the four Confederate monuments are nuisances pursuant to Section 146-611 of the Code of the City of New Orleans and be removed from their prominent locations in New Orleans. The members of the City Council voted 6 to 1 in support of this ordinance.
It is anticipated that private dollars will be used to pay for the removal of these monuments. Bids for the removal will be released in the next day. The City will also now begin the legal process necessary to remove the Liberty Place monument, which is currently subject to a federal court order. Additional details will be announced as they become available.
Once removed, the monuments will be stored in a City-owned warehouse until further plans can be developed for a park or museum site where the monuments can be put in a fuller context.
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