Hurricane Laura Topples Louisiana Confederate Statue at Heart of Take Down Debate

Hurricane Laura barreled into the Gulf Coast Wednesday and in its wake, took out a Confederate statue in Louisiana. The South Defenders Monument has stood in front of the courthouse in Lake Charles, Louisiana since 1915.

The monument depicts confederate soldiers from the South, according to the American Press.

Earlier this month, a jury voted to keep it up, despite a Change.org petition to have it removed. It’s too early to know whether the statue will be fixed or removed all together due to the damage from the storm.

"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," tweeted Davante Lewis, director of public affairs and outreach at the Louisiana Budget Project (LBP), sharing photos of the toppled monument. 

State officials say at least four people, including a 14-year-old girl, are known to have been killed due to the storm.

RELATED STORIES