New Orleans Removes Polarizing Confederate Monuments

New Orleans has begun the controversial process of removing four Confederate monuments throughout the city, according to CBS News.

Workers, who were equipped with helmets and flak jackets, began removal of the Battle of Liberty Place monument in the dark early Monday morning. 

Police observed their efforts in wake of death threats made by some opponents of the city's decision.

"The statue was put up to honor the killing of police officers by white supremacists," New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said during a news conference Monday, referring to the Liberty Place monument. "Of the four that we will move, this statue is perhaps the most blatant affront to the values that make America and New Orleans strong today."

Erected in 1891, the monument commemorates members of the "Crescent City White League" who revolted against the city's biracial police force.

This is the confederate monument that's been taken down in NOLA this morning - the Liberty Place monument near the aquarium #GMM pic.twitter.com/yRr1D0m019

— Meggan Gray (@MegganGray) April 24, 2017

In addition to the Liberty Place monument, workers will take down three other Confederate monuments, including ones paying tribute to generals Robert E. Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard, as well as Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis.

The monument honoring Lee dates back to 1884 and stands approximately 17-feet tall. It can be found at Lee Circle, which ranks as the 42nd best sight or landmark in New Orleans, according to TripAdvisor.

The P.G.T. Beauregard monument is located in the center of a roundabout at the entrance of City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art, while the Jefferson Davis statue sits at the intersection of Jefferson Davis Parkway and Canal Street.

According to CNN, some of the monuments have been defaced in recent years as a result of growing political tensions. The Robert E. Lee monument was vandalized by anti-Trump protesters last year. 

While some are happy to see the monuments go, others are upset, even holding candlelight vigils in protest.

"I think it’s a terrible thing," Civil War re-enactor Robert Bonner told the Associated Press. "When you start removing the history of the city, you start losing money. You start losing where you came from and where you’ve been."

READ MORE: 5 Things You Didn't Know About US Landmarks

The City Council approved plans to remove the statues in 2015 but only the city only recently announced that it had received the necessary funding to pay for the monuments' removal. Landrieu said that the monuments will be stored and preserved until officials can determine an appropriate place to display them.

The monuments' removal comes at a time when New Orleans tourism is thriving. Last month, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOCVB) announced the city hosted a record 10.45 million visitors in 2016 and that it aims to attract 13.7 million visitors during 2018, the year it will celebrate its 300th birthday.

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