Monuments which are taken down may have new life, thanks to a bill advancing in the legislature. Chalmette Representative Mike Bayham’s bill would transfer any publicly owned historical statue or monument removed from public display to the Office of State Parks. Bayham says it’s a good compromise.
“There’s a way for it to preserve this historic artifact, while giving the community the ability to not have it on their land anymore,” Bayham said.
Bayham says under his bill, the office would be required to move any such monument to a location in a different parish which is open to the public.
“We’ll put these monuments in a place where the context will be told; where people will want to see the memorials will have to go to a state park to see it. They will be maintained, they’ll have a greater protection from vandalism,” Bayham explained.
While Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, who oversees the Office of State Parks, says House Bill 1215 was designed to deal with Confederate monuments which were taken down in New Orleans in 2017, Bayham says his bill makes no mention of Confederate monuments and applies to other monuments as well.
“Some of them relate to Columbus or Fr. Junipero Serra. Even statues related to Teddy Roosevelt have been taken down,” Bayham noted.
The bill passed in the House last week on a vote of 78-14 and now moves to the Senate.
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