Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is trying to find ways to keep four Confederate landmarks in New Orleans safe–even over the protests of Democratic New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Following the shooting of an African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina by apparent white supremacist, Dylann Roof–which caused the death of nine churchgoers–liberals have been on a quest to rid America of Confederate symbols.
First came the Confederate flag–which flew in front of a number of statehouses across the South–and now, seemingly no Confederate monument is safe.
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. The monument has stood since 1884.
The New Orleans City Council supports him–and they’ve voted to start the legal process for tearing down the landmarks. They also hope to rename the circle, from the name that it’s had for 131 years.
Jindal, however, has other plans. With the removal of the landmarks still in legal limbo, he’s taking action to preserve them.
“Governor Jindal opposes the tearing down of these historical statues and he has instructed his staff to look into the Heritage Act to determine the legal authority he has as Governor to stop it,” said Doug Cain, Jindal’s spokesman.
Because the Confederate landmarks in New Orleans are so old, Jindal can stop them from being dismantled if they’re deemed historic enough to save.
But time’s running out–and it remains to be seen whether or not a Republican Governor could stop a Democrat from dismantling the South’s monuments to its past.
