Robert E. Lee Statue Removed

The fourth monument to be taken down by the New Orleans city council and Mayor Mitch Landrieu was the Robert E. Lee statue which sat on a 70-foot perch downtown.

The previous 3 statues had been removed in the middle of the night without warning while workers wore masks to hide their identity and police and snipers were on duty to ensure orderly removal.

Opponents of the movement claim it is a rewriting or erasing of history, and the moves have been protested as well as supported.

Last week, the Louisiana statehouse passed HB71 to require a referendum before any memorial could be altered, removed, relocated or destroyed. Black members walked out to demonstrate their opposition to the law. The move was taken in order to prevent local governments like Landrieu's from removing more Confederate monuments.