PLAQUEMINE, La. (AP) — A parish in southeastern Louisiana voted unanimously to remove a statue of a Confederate soldier in front of the courthouse, as protests against racism across the country have moved many cities and towns to revisit public monuments to the Confederacy.
Local media report that the Iberville Parish Council voted Tuesday night to move the statue, which has stood for more than a century. The Advocate reports that at the base of the statue are the words: “The principles for which they fought live eternally.”
It’s not clear when the statue will be removed. The newspaper reports that the statue’s removal was put on the council’s agenda at request of the parish’s president. Members of the public were able to give comment during Tuesday’s meeting.
“It shows that we’re actually moving forward finally and getting things done,” said council member Raheem Pierce. “We need to create new symbols together: white and black, Republican and Democrat.”
Cities and towns across the country have been debating whether to remove statues and plaques commemorating the Confederacy and those who fought for it as the country undergoes a massive debate about police use of force against black people and racism more generally.
The shift comes after the May 25th death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd, a black man, died after a police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes.
A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released Wednesday found that more Americans today than five years ago believe police brutality is a very serious problem that too often goes undisciplined and unequally targets black Americans.
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