NEW ORLEANS — Video posted to social media shows a group of men salvaging a statue of John McDonogh from the Mississippi River on Sunday.
Moments later, they load it into a pickup truck.
A day before, protestors pulled it from its pedestal in Duncan Plaza and rolled it into the river.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell said it doesn't appear city officials know who the men are.
“I do believe that happened without the city of New Orleans,” she said. “Again, that has yet to be confirmed.”
Three years after the city took down some Confederate monuments, the council is looking at renaming streets, parks and other places named after white supremacists.
McDonogh is debated since he donated money for public schools but was also a slave owner.
Author and historian Charles Marsala said he agrees some changes need to be made.
He questions why a statue to former Mayor “Chep” Morrison remains in Duncan Plaza, for example.
“Morrison was a segregationist mayor for many years,” Marsala said. “He actually is the guy that wouldn't let Ruby Bridges go to school.”
Marsala said there should be some additions to the local landscape. One example: Gov. P.B.S. Pinchback.
“P.B.S. Pinchback in 1872 became the nation's first African-American governor out of New Orleans,” Marsala said. “He's buried here. Why don't we have a marker for him?”
He said he hopes cultures that contributed to the city, such as Italians, will also be recognized.
While the debate about what stays or goes begins, Cantrell said there's one certainty: vandalism of public or private property, such as removing statues without approval, won't be tolerated.
“Should that happen, we will ensure arrests are made and people are held accountable,” Cantrell said.
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