Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says the confederate monuments taken down across New Orleans in 2017 will have a permanent home by the end of this year. The comments came as Nungesser addressed tourism and cultural preservation officials gathered Sunday at the Cabildo at Jackson Square.
Four Confederate monuments removed from New Orleans between April and May of 2017 are still being stored at a city warehouse, where Nungesser says they are safe. Former Mayor Mitch Landrieu spearheaded the contentious removal process, after the Charleston, South Carolina, church shooting by a white supremacist.
Nungesser told the supportive crowd of about 100 that he expects the relocation process will speed up under Landrieu’s successor, LaToya Cantrell.
“I’ve met with her several times. I really believe in my heart she wants it resolved in a way that satisfies -- as much as we can – everyone," he said.
The event was hosted by the Robert E. Lee Monumental Association. Attendees cheered Nungesser’s promise that public input will be taken on all proposals.
He said he personally favors building a replica of Lee Circle in Mandeville’s Fontainebleau State Park, which his office oversees. He says the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee would be back on top of his pedestal, with his back side facing New Orleans.
