A Confederate statue was no match for Hurricane Laura.
On Thursday, the South’s Defenders Monument, located outside the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was torn to the ground by the powerful storm, reported CBS News.
Laura sustained winds of up to 150 mph and caused heavy damage upon making landfall early Thursday morning.
Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish has been filled with controversy and tension after our parish government by a vote of 10-5 refused to take down the Confederate South’s Defenders Monument.Hurricane Laura had other plans and brought it down herself. pic.twitter.com/HmyCVlJF8k
— Davante Lewis (@davantelewis)
August 27, 2020 The statue, erected in 1915 and dedicated to Confederate soldiers in the area, toppled over onto the grass amongst other debris.
While protesters had asked the monument to be taken down over its symbolism of slavery and racism, Calcasieu Parish officials voted 10-5 on August 13 to keep it in place outside the courthouse.
Prior to the vote, officials said they received 878 written responses against relocating the statue and 67 in favor of having it removed, reported the Associated Press.
As of Friday, there have been 10 confirmed deaths in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
The Louisiana Department of Health is sadly verifying an additional four storm-related deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning. We do not have other details at this time.This brings the total number of deaths to 10.
— Louisiana Department of Health (@LADeptHealth)
August 28, 2020
