A statue of Andrew Jackson is being targeted for removal in New Orleans, Louisiana. Photo by Take 'Em Down NOLA
A group called Take 'Em Down NOLA is calling for the removal of a statue of Andrew Jackson, the president who forced tribes out of their homelands in the 1800s. The statue is among a series of monuments to racist and controversial figures in New Orleans, Louisiana. The city council has voted to remove four monuments and the group says Andrew Jackson should be next. "We don’t want to erase history. We want to promote accurate history," the group said in a September 27 statement on Facebook. "We believe that symbols that honor, celebrate, and promote those who oppress others during the course of history have no place in public space." The city council hasn't made a decision on Andrew Jackson but is already under heavy fire for agreeing to remove four monuments of Confederate and White supremacist figures. Several groups -- including one called the Sons of Confederate Veterans -- are suing in federal court. "Saving our monuments in New Orleans is, of course, at the top of our list of unfinished business," J. C. Hanna of Sons of Confederate Veterans wrote in the group's August 2016 newsletter. In January, a federal judge refused to stop the city from removing the four monuments but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stepped in and issued an order that keeps the monuments in place, The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. The court heard arguments last Wednesday but a decision hasn't been issued. Separately, a New Orleans resident filed a different lawsuit that called for the removal of the Andrew Jackson statue. But a federal judge dismissed the case on Tuesday as an "empty gesture," the Associated Press reported. The resident actually opposes the removal of any of the statues, the AP said. Read More on the Story:
Judge: Suit to remove Andrew Jackson statue ‘empty gesture’ (AP 10/4)
Appeals court hears arguments in Confederate monuments case (The Louisiana Weekly 10/3)
5th Circuit ponders New Orleans' Confederate monuments (The New Orleans Times-Picayune 9/28)
Take 'Em Down NOLA says Andrew Jackson's statue must go (The New Orleans Times-Picayune 9/17) An Opinion:
Jaime Nino: Andrew Jackson's legacy was not all positive (The New Orleans Times-Picayune 10/5)
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