Robert E. Lee Takes Another Hit

I think it is safe to say that this has not been a good year for the memory of Robert E. Lee as well as the Confederacy. The Lost Cause is in retreat throughout much of the former Confederate states. Lee monuments have been removed in New Orleans and Baltimore. As we all know, the Charlottesville city council also voted to remove its monument to Lee. Its removal awaits a court decision. In the mean time it remains covered with a black tarp.

Earlier today the city council in Dallas, Texas voted to remove its monument to Robert E. Lee.

This short video offers a snapshot of the reasons given for removal. We have heard these concerns voiced elsewhere and we will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

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4 comments… add one
  • Andy Hall Sep 7, 2017 @ 12:29

    This afternoon (Thursday) the judge lifted the stay he had imposed Wednesday, allowing the city to continue the removal process. He ruled that the plaintiffs had not really established the claims they made in their filing to justify keeping it in place. The city has said they will proceed with the removal at some later point.

    One thing that struck me is this, from the Dallas Morning News coverage of the case. The plaintiff, Hiram Patterson, who is claiming to be harmed by the city’s plans to remove the monument, is described thus:

    Patterson, who said he served two tours in Iraq for the Navy, said he was asked by the local Sons of Confederate Veterans to take part in the lawsuit since he lives in Dallas. He said he has lived in the area for 25 years and had driven by the statue before. Last weekend, he and his wife went to see it and was impressed by the monument.

    By his own admission, his connection to the statue was that he “had driven by the statue before,” and made a special trip to see it only within the last few days. In the entire city of Dallas, this is the best they can do to find someone claiming to be harmed by the city’s actions? Good Lord, what a dishonest and farcical abuse of the federal courts.

    https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-city-hall/2017/09/07/dallas-robert-e-lee-statue-judges-hands-hearing-set-130-pm

    • Kevin Levin Sep 7, 2017 @ 13:01

      Thanks for the update.

  • Jimmy Dick Sep 6, 2017 @ 13:27

    While you are at it, here’s another hit for the lost cause: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/09/06/washington-national-cathedral-removing-confederate-windows/638489001/ Let’s wave good-bye to another symbol of Jim Crow homage.

  • Msb Sep 6, 2017 @ 12:15

    “If symbolic gestures are good enough for the citizens of Dallas, so be it.”
    Surely raising the statue was as symbolic as removing it would be.

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