Opposition Groups Debate Removal of New Orleans Confederate-Era Statue

Opposition groups engaged in a heated debate while a Confederate monument was being removed in New Orleans late on Tuesday, May 16.The city of New Orleans announced on Tuesday that the removal process of the monument of Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard had begun. The statue was the third of four monuments that city officials plan to take down. Following the removal of the P.G.T Beauregard statue, the Robert E. Lee monument at Lee Circle is be the only one remaining.The removal, which was approved in December 2016 by the New Orleans City Council, marked a “step in defining our City not by our past but by our bright future,” Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a news release. “We will not allow the Confederacy to be put on a pedestal in the heart of New Orleans.”Supporters of the plan said the monuments reminded people the city’s history of slavery and racial segregation, while opponents said it was disrespectful to veterans and their families, The Associated Press reported.This video shows two groups arguing near the P.G.T. Beauregard statue. A woman can be heard saying “Slaves in the South were treated much better.” The reason she made such a comment is unclear.In addition to the monument to Beauregard, the city has already removed one to Confederate President Jefferson Davis and the Battle of Liberty Place, in which white supremacists killed police officers.