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NEW ORLEANS — Lee Circle has reopened to vehicle traffic after NOPD officers set up barricades and traffic was rerouted while RTA workers cut the power to the street car lines. The street cars are still not running on St. Charles near Lee Circle. Many of the officers and workers who were there while traffic was restricted have left the site. A path that leads to the Robert E. Lee monument has been cleared. The temporary no parking signs around Lee Circle remain.
It’s clear that the Robert E. Lee monument is coming down, the only question now is when. When Robert E. Lee is removed, it will be the fourth and final Confederate-era monument to be taken down by the city. The P.G.T. Beauregard monument at the entrance to City Park was removed just after 3 a.m. Wednesday, though crews had been working to take the six-ton statue off its pedestal since 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Jefferson Davis statue came down overnight last week, and Liberty Place came down in mid-April.