In the dark of night, workers wearing masks and tactical vests arrived Monday at New Orleans' Battle of Liberty Place monument to take it down.
Police snipers were positioned on nearby rooftops, according to The Times-Picayune newspaper. Company names on trucks and equipment were covered with cardboard and black tape to protect contractors involved in the controversial operation.
It was the first of four scheduled relocations of Confederate memorials in New Orleans after years of heated public debate and legal battles. City officials have attempted to move the monuments since 2015 amid opposition from pro-monument groups and threats against workers. A federal judge in Louisiana affirmed the city's right to move them in March and the city secured private funding to do so.
Because of threats and security risks, the city will not publicly disclose details for the next three removals. Mayor Mitch Landrieu's office said the statues will go to storage while the city looks for a suitable venue to display them, such as a museum.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/24/us/new-orleans-confederate-statues/
Police snipers were positioned on nearby rooftops, according to The Times-Picayune newspaper. Company names on trucks and equipment were covered with cardboard and black tape to protect contractors involved in the controversial operation.
It was the first of four scheduled relocations of Confederate memorials in New Orleans after years of heated public debate and legal battles. City officials have attempted to move the monuments since 2015 amid opposition from pro-monument groups and threats against workers. A federal judge in Louisiana affirmed the city's right to move them in March and the city secured private funding to do so.
Because of threats and security risks, the city will not publicly disclose details for the next three removals. Mayor Mitch Landrieu's office said the statues will go to storage while the city looks for a suitable venue to display them, such as a museum.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/24/us/new-orleans-confederate-statues/