NPR

Workers Take Jefferson Davis Statue Off Its Pedestal In New Orleans

Mayor Mitch Landrieu and his allies say monuments to Confederate-era figures celebrate the "cult of the Lost Cause" and hold the city back.

Workers in New Orleans dismantled the city's Jefferson Davis monument early Thursday, removing the prominent statue of the Confederate leader that had stood for more than 100 years.

"This historic moment is an opportunity to join together as one city and redefine our future," Mayor Mitch Landrieu said as he announced that crews had begun removing the statue, the second of four planned removals

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