NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – A case which called out the hypocrisy of the City of New Orleans’ plan to remove four Civil War-related monuments but not to remove one honoring Democratic President Andrew Jackson was thrown out by a federal judge this week.
Tulane University Professor Richard Marksbury, a staunch supporter of the monuments, filed the lawsuit with the City, citing that there was no evidence to show that the Jackson monument was any different than the other monuments planned to be removed by Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Nonetheless, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said Marksbury’s effort was an “empty gesture,” according to Louisiana Weekly.
Marksbury told Breitbart Texas that his alleged “empty gesture” took Barbier 26 pages to dismiss, asking “Why did it take him so long to explain that if it had no merits?”
“He’s trying to surmise what my intentions are, but he doesn’t know what my intentions are,” Marksbury told Breitbart Texas after saying he had his oral argument dropped by Barbier five days before he was set to present them, with no reason by the federal judge.
“He obviously was biased because he noticed that I didn’t want the monuments to come down,” said Marksbury.
In recent weeks, Black Lives Matter-aligned activists with the group “Take ‘Em Down Nola” stormed Jackson Square, demanding the monument come down on the basis that the former president was a slave-owner, Breitbart Texas reported.
The protesters chanted “No justice, no peace” and “F*ck the police,” as members of the group tried to jump barriers blocking off the monument but were quickly apprehended by New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers.
Take ‘Em Down Nola has promised to physically tear down the Andrew Jackson monument, which sits at the heart of the city’s French Quarter, as Breitbart Texas reported.
Marksbury said that the group does not “really care” about the monument.
“If ‘Take ‘Em Down Nola’ wanted them to come down, they’d ask for hearings on each of the monuments,” said Marksbury. “They don’t do it. They just go outside and protest.”
Ultimately, Marskbury said Landrieu was to blame for the matter getting out of control, with Take ‘Em Down Nola now requesting over 20 different changes to monuments and street names across the city.
Landrieu’s office has not responded to comment requests by Breitbart Texas on the issue of the monuments.
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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