Bill to protect Confederate memorials could be helped by New Orleans removal of monuments
BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - The early morning removal of a Confederate memorial in New Orleans Monday only highlighted efforts for an Alabama state lawmaker to pass a bill protecting such monuments.
Sen. Gerald Allen, a Tuscaloosa Republican, said he expects to see his senate-passed bill up for a vote this week in the House.
"It punctuates the very thought of doing away or trying to white wash certain parts of history. I think this is an important issue," Sen. Allen said.
The Alabama Memorial Preservation Act would protect monuments on state, county and city property. It would create a committee to consider waivers for cities and counties seeking to move or alter such monuments.
Birmingham activist Frank Matthews, who successfully requested the city's park board to vote to remove a monument honoring Confederate soldiers and sailors erected in Linn Park in 1905, said it's frustrating to see New Orleans remove such monuments while lawmakers appear ready to protect them in Alabama. Efforts to remove the Birmingham monument were stalled.
"The majority of people in Birmingham don't want this," Matthews said, referring to the monument.
"It's a tale of two cities," Matthews said. "New Orleans taking down their Confederate monuments on Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama."
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