OPELOUSAS, La. — A Confederate monument in the St. Landry Parish Courthouse Square is staying put for now.
This follows a parish council vote in April 2022 to remove the monument because of rising concerns over what some in the community consider symbolic of a problematic past.
According to the parish council's legal counsel Garrett Duplechain, the fact there was no deadline to move the monument in that April 2022 resolution is holding up the removal process. Still, Duplechain says there's more to consider, as the resolution also calls for the monument to be donated to either the United Daughters of the Confederacy or the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
In the meantime, Duplechain tells KATC it starts with the cost and logistics of moving the monument into the possession of either group. Duplechain says the parish is currently deciding between contractors to do the job, some offering to do so for free. Others, however, are offering to do so for an unknown cost.
With 41 hand-carved pieces that the parish says must be disassembled before the removal takes place, it's said to be a delicate process. It's a process that falls on the parish government to arrange, according to the parish clerk of court's office. Officials say this is because the monument is on public, parish property. According to Parish President Jessie Bellard, a larger monument in Caddo Parish cost $700,000 to remove.
"We're not paying that kind of money to move a statue, we're just not," Bellard tells KATC. "But we still have the issue as who owns it and who owns the ground underneath it because lawyers are bringing up some history back to 1910, where it says the land was donated to the Sons and here we are in 2023 trying to figure out what's going on."
According to extensive research done by the clerk of court's office, there are no records directly indicating any ownership by the Sons of the Confederacy. The parish's legal counsel agrees, noting it was an assertion made in a newspaper at the time. Either way, Duplechain says it shouldn't cost anywhere near that much if it costs the parish anything at all, maintaining the payment will not fall on the shoulders of parish taxpayers.
Bellard says the removal could happen as soon as within the next month.
------------------------------------------------------------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
To reach the newsroom or report a typo/correction, click HERE.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers
