City removes P.G.T. Beauregard statue, base remains

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Posted: May 17, 2017 11:38 AM EDT | Updated: May 17, 2017 11:39 AM EDT

Web Staff

NEW ORLEANS, LA -- The City of New Orleans began removing the P.G.T. Beauregard statue at the entrance to City Park Tuesday night and now all that remains is the pedestal where the Confederate General once stood mounted in his horse.

Crowds gathered once again to watch masked men work to bring down the Confederate statue.

The 100-plus protesters and onlookers were mostly peaceful, though there were a few minor clashes around 11 p.m.

The statue will be the third Confederate monument removed by the city.

A total of four are marked for removal. The Robert E. Lee statue will be the only one remaining.

The city has said that the removal of the statues would happen soon but there would be no advance notice. While the exact hour that the work would begin was not announced, it has hardly been a stealthy process as the city has placed barricades in the areas surrounding the monuments in the days prior to the removals.

At about 1:30 in the morning, a brass band arrived at the scene and performed a few songs for the crowd. During one of the songs, the crowd began singing, "Take 'em down." Then police moved in and told the band to stop performing because they would awaken neighbors who would probably be sleeping.

At one point three people, a man and two women, were escorted away from the area in handcuffs. A spokesman for the NOPD says the three will probably be cited for public intoxication.

The city released the following statement below regarding tonight's removal of the Beauregard statue:

"Today we take another step in defining our City not by our past but by our bright future," said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. "While we must honor our history, we will not allow the Confederacy to be put on a pedestal in the heart of New Orleans. As we near our City's 300th anniversary, we must continue to find courage to stand up to hate and embrace justice and compassion."

WGNO