Barricades, no-parking signs crop up near Lee Circle signaling possible removal of statue
New Orleans Police could be seen adding barricades near the Robert E. Lee monument in Lee Circle on Thursday, potentially foreshadowing the statue's planned removal.
No parking signs have also been placed around Lee Circle forbidding any vehicle to park there between midnight on May 19 through midnight on May 20, and RTA officials said the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar line is on detour from Erato Street to the Downtown loop until further notice, according to a WWL-TV report.
The statue standing atop a 68-foot obelisk in Lee Circle is the fourth and final contested monument expected to come down. It is unclear exactly when, or if an exact time is planned for its removal. The other three removed monuments The Battle of Liberty Place, Jefferson Davis, and P.G.T. Beauregard were taken down with very little warning and in the nighttime hours.
The appearance of barricades in the area is not new, as many have been at least stored near the statue for several weeks. On May 7, a march culminated at the site with anti and pro-monument protesters clashing at several points. Barricades separated the opposing groups as the march reached Lee Circle, and the demonstration though tense eventually dispersed peacefully.
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