DeRidder supporters rally for P.G.T. Beauregard statues
Published 7:10 pm Sunday, July 2, 2017
People rally in favor of moving the statue of Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard from New Orleans to Beauregard Parish on Saturday.
DERIDDER — Supporters of a resolution to move a statue of Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard from New Orleans to Beauregard Parish gathered at City Hall on Saturday.
Waving Confederate flags and speaking of tolerance, the supporters said that they wanted to preserve a piece of history that should be important to everyone.
“This is not about race at all. We would never support anything that would put one race beneath another,” said organizer Thomas Carpenter.
“This is about the history of our parish. P.G.T. Beauregard is our namesake, and we believe that it is only right that his statue be brought here.”
Carpenter said the group heard no negative reactions from passers-by, but that social media comments directed at them had been harsh.
“I’ve been called some rough names, but you just have to ignore it,” he said. “We’re not going to let those things keep us from voicing our opinions and standing up for ourselves.”
The Beauregard Parish Police Jury on June 13 approved a motion to ask for the statue if it is freed from litigation. Some have suggested it be displayed at the parish courthouse in DeRidder.
Supporter Shane Jones said people who oppose moving the statue to DeRidder have a “limited view of history.”
“They’re not looking at the whole history in its entirety. Some might look at this flag and immediately think of slavery, but to me this flag represents rebellion against authority for the right reasons,” Jones said.
“It represents people who fought and bled and died for what they believed in. It’s not an attempt to glorify slavery; it’s about standing up for your beliefs.”
Some discussion of the statue has brought up the idea of offering residents the chance to vote on whether the statue should come to the parish, if it is approved for such a move, and Carpenter said he would support an election.
“That would be a true democratic way to handle this, and I think that would be a great way to see how the majority feels about the statue,” he said. “I believe it would be approved to come here by a wide margin.”
