Thousands rally against white supremacy in New Orleans

[Ex Lurker]

New Orleans was ground zero for this current movement, and momentum continues. It's important to remember that it's not just confederate monuments, but all vestiges of white supremacy, including the Andrew Jackson statue. New Orleans, and Louisiana in general has buildings, streets, and whole towns named after white supremacists. Tulane University was named after a slave owner, as was Audubon Park, and many other landmarks. They all must go. This will show the way for the rest of the country.

http://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/article_7a9fd888-836d-11e7-94f5-7fe6ac0d22a9.html

The group Take 'Em Down NOLA on Thursday renewed its call to eliminate more monuments celebrating slave owners and Confederate officials in New Orleans as other cities around the country have begun removing their own statues in response to the attack in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The group is seeking the removal of 13 statues in the city, including the equestrian monument to Andrew Jackson in Jackson Square. That monument, which commemorates Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, has been a particular target of the group because Jackson owned slaves and, as president, was responsible for violently forcing Native Americans off their land in what came to be known as the Trail of Tears.

The group also wants the city to rename dozens of streets, buildings and institutions. In all, there are more than 100 symbols it wants removed or renamed.

White supremacists, many waving Nazi flags and chanting racist slogans, turned out in record numbers in Charlottesville last week to protest plans to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee. The event turned deadly when one pro-monument protester rammed his car into a group of counter-demonstrators, killing a woman and injuring nearly 20 other people.

[Ex Lurker]

1. The easy victories are the confederate statues

Mitch Landrieu himself has balked against taking down the Andrew Jackson statue. And when it comes to renaming streets, and towns, that will be a hard fight. Louisiana has a Leesville, and there are parishes (counties) named after Jefferson Davis and Beauregard. The reaction will be fierce in those places, which are deep red Trump country.

[Ex Lurker]

2. I hope this is not just a feel-good movement that goes away after a few rallies take place and a few

statues come down. Truly cleansing this nation of its racist legacy will be a long, hard struggle and may include setbacks. People who supported taking down a statue may resist when it comes to renaming their street or the town they live in.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. They can trash that monument to the Confederacy, Jeff Sessions, too n/t