NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – The Liberty Place monument outside of the Canal Place parking garage was the target of vandals – again.
Spray-painted on the statue Monday morning were the words, “Take Em All Down Now,” along with red spray paint along the sides of the monument.
It’s one of four Confederate monuments that the New Orleans City Council voted in December to remove. The other three are the monuments honoring Robert E. Lee, PGT Beauregard and Jefferson Davis.
The Liberty Place monument was erected in 1891, more than 20 years after the Battle of Liberty Place – an effort by the White League to stop Reconstruction after the Civil War – killed more than 30 people.
The removal process has been tied up in court with legal battles challenging the removal of the statues.
It’s not the first time the statues have been vandalized, and there has been much protest and controversy on both sides of the issue.
Members of the Take ‘Em Down Nola group say the statues are symbols of white supremacy, while those who are opposed to the monuments’ removal say they’re a part of history.