NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Are they four pieces of concrete or pieces of history?
“This is a very slippery slope. It’s a dangerous precedent. Where is it gonna end?” asks Tim Shea Carroll, whose petition on change.org, called “Save our Circle” is gathering thousands of names.
There’s talk that even the city’s favorite symbol could be in danger.
“The fleur-de-lis was used in slavery times for New Orleans, that they branded the slaves when they left New Orleans,” says Carroll.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s push to remove the statue of Robert E. Lee and rename Lee Circle has Tim Shea Carroll outraged.
“Personally, I was just appalled that a piece of New Orleans history was going to disappear. And as the day went on and I started thinking about it, I was more concerned that this was being done as a political move and it doesn’t do anything beneficial for the city at all. It more divides the city than helps.”
He says he’s not pro-slavery — he’s pro-statue. And for him, and the thousands who have signed the petition he created on change.org, Lee Circle is an iconic landmark.
“If he wins and gets it done, he looks like a hero to the community that wants it down. If he loses, he still looks like a hero to that same community for trying and standing up for his beliefs and their beliefs. The money that it’s going to take to move this statue or any of the other statues that he’s thinking about has to be monumental and can definitely be spent somewhere else solving our crime problem, teachers, the firemen, anywhere other than just a statue,” says Carroll, who hopes to have 20,000 signatures on his petition soon.
Mike Delahoussaye also is upset with the Mayor’s monumental moves. He owns the Tic-Toc Cafe in Metairie, with his own personal sounding board: a billboard outside that expresses his personal frustration with the Mayor.
“I don’t care about the statues and the monuments, and I think I speak for most people. I really do. Who cares! If you want to change Lee Circle to “The Circle” I don’t care! Let’s talk about the real problems,” says Delahoussaye, who agrees with Carroll that the issues that need to be addressed include education and poverty.
