By Scott Buttram, publisher
MONTGOMERY –Alabama attorney general Steve Marshall filed a lawsuit against the City of Birmingham and mayor William Bell on Wednesday for violations of the The Alabama Memorial Preservation Act. Marshall asked the court to impose a $25,000 per day fine for each day that the monument is covered.
Bell ordered a wall built around the 1905 Confederate monument at Linn Park. City workers erected the wall at about 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Confederate monument at Linn Park in downtown Birmingham.
Photo by Scott Buttram/The Trussville Tribune
“In accordance with the law, my office has determined that by affixing tarps and placing plywood around the Linn Park Memorial such that it is hidden from view, the Defendants have ‘altered’ or ‘otherwise disturbed’ the memorial in violation of the letter and spirit of the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act,” Marshall said in a statement released on Wednesday. “The City of Birmingham does not have the right to violate the law and leaves my office with no choice but to file suit.”
Wednesday afternoon, Bell responded to the lawsuit.
“We look forward to the court system clarifying the rights and power of a municipality to control its parks absent state intervention,” Bell said in a statement.
The bill prohibits the relocation, removal, alteration, renaming, or other disturbance of any architecturally significant building, memorial building, memorial street, or monument located on public property which has been in place for at least 20 years and less than 40 years. Violating the law could result in a $25,000 fine.
Watch the live video of the wall be erected here.
During the Birmingham city council meeting on Tuesday,council president Johnathan Austin confronted mayor William Bell, demanding that he remove the monument from the park. The subject arose following a weekend of violence and deaths in Charlottesville, Virginia as protesters and counter-protesters clashed over the removal of Confederate statues in that city.
Bell answered Austin’s demands by saying he was not inclined to break state law in reference to the Memorial Preservation Act passed by the state legislature in the most recent session. That law, sponsored in the House by representative Mack Butler-Gadsden and in the Senate by Gerald Allen-Tuscaloosa, requires specific permission from the Committee on Alabama Monument Protection before removing or renaming any historical monument or statue over 40 years old.
Austin responded that the mayor should remove the monument and suffer the repercussions or cover the monument.
84 Comments
Stan Man
book em dan o
Kim Hutchison
Taking these monuments down will not change how people feel or think.
It will not change a racist persons perspective.
It will not make things better.
You can’t erase history and you can’t avoid it.
But apparently the people that want to destroy history and monuments are too stupid and ignorant to realize any of that.
They think they can just destroy what they want, and do what they want, and that there will be no repercussions on their part.
But what they don’t see and choose to not see is that it’s only going to get worse.
What are they gonna take down next? That’s my question.
Get your head out of your asses and wake up and realize you can’t change the past, you can’t change history, and you won’t be able to change the right of freedom.
Sharon Mcclung Bahm
I think the mayor missed a big opportunity to strike a compromise and leave the art piece as is. You can’t re write history but you can affect lives in the present.
Mary Dearing
Yea !!!!
Sarah Perry
Put it in a museum
Connie Echols Alexander
Why should it not stand where it is.
Brandi N Brad
Way to go AG good job!
Mark Kelly
Of all things for the Attorney General of Alabama to be on top of, it speaks volumes that this is it.
Roland Hill
You’re right you cant erase history. We as African Americans will not erase from our history the way your ancestors beat our ancestors treated us like shit less than human beings, raped our women spat on us, beat us, bombed our church in this racist ass State, hosed us Hell to the no we”re not going to forget it either 50 years ago it was my mother getting hosed go to hell with gasoline drawers on.
Rusty Piersol
Whether they realize it or not they are driving a wedge of resentment between the races. These days just about everyone is offended by something and those in power are stomping on those who do not have political power. If you want to take down a monument that has been standing for this length of time it should be an open discussion followed by a vote of the people of the community it involves.
LaNita Cox
When history is destroyed and dismissed it leaves those in the future unable to learn from past mistakes. This leaves us open to repeating those mistakes. We may not be proud of the past but we should never pretend it never happened.
Lawanda Burke
You would think that a mayor with weekly shootings of children, daily shootings in his city would choose to address those issues. That would be the right thing to do but when you are a racist running for re-election, I guess you have your priorities mixed up.
Patt Pounds
Agreed
Roland Hill
We have a leader of the US a racist what’s the difference he’s on a higher level with his illiterate A.
Mike Rudulph
“Art”
Cute
Tjo Johnson
That requires logic, reasoning and negotiation… we are talking about Birmingham leadership lol 😂
Mike Rudulph
A wedge between the races? Are you sure all white people feel the same as you?
Sandra Baswell
Just dont know what this world coming too.
William Kennedy
Funny. People who scream for states’ rights want those rights to stop at Montgomery.
How’s about letting the local populace have a say in what they have to look at e every day.
Tombstone Ted
Obama is still “Remaking America” even when he is out of office.
Rusty Piersol
Mike Rudulph well I am pretty sure I do not speak for anyone other than myself. Unlike the mayors of these cities removing monuments without regard for the voting public. If the majority of the voting public is for the removal then who am I to question the removal. Until you can prove to me that it is the majority that wants this I will question their motives. Thank you very much.
Rusty Piersol
Tjo Johnson very true. I would never mistake them for rational people
Richard Norton
Can you say PANDER. He is running for full term.
Joey Blalock
Question! Should we take down all the monuments of Washington and Jefferson? You do know they were slave owners?
Bill McClain
Lock him up!
Joey Blalock
Political move on Bells part! Election time! Am I to believe that that monument is just now bothering him! He’s just stirring the pot! Bell has done nothing for Birmingham but make himself richer. He’s a POS just like all politicians
Jay Staas
The question could be, with the city facing bankruptcy, violent out of contro with 2 or 3 kids killed in the last day or so, why was covering up the statue a priority for the mayor?
Doug Williams
Mike there are actually many black that had family fight as well
Michael Stanley
Wendy Williams Wright
Jay Staas my thoughts too!!!
Paul Tucker
priorities?…
Jessica Sweatman Nicholson
All he’s trying to do is create some drama to bring publicity to his crooked self. He’ll end up getting more than he bargains for bringing chaos to our city.
David Franklin
Cole Stephens
Birmingham is the shithole of Alabama couldn’t happen to a better city!
Craig Mix
Well said Lawanda! Big fan!
Thomas Burleson
Of all the things that the mayor of Birmingham could focus his attention on and he chose this, go figure! Guess he needed the attention and votes ahead of next week’s election. Bravo 👏
Craig Mix
Roland Hill why are you bring up Trump? All Trump is guilty of is loving America, loving all Americans equally, boosting our economy, creating over a million jobs and giving Americans hope and enthusiasm for America’s future. So sad your comments are disrespecting such a great man. Hope you can get rid of your hatred and help the rest of us Make America Great Again. After all, we are all in this together, right?
Thomas Burleson
Yes, lets! Pretty sure they haven’t held that vote of the citizens yet.
William Kennedy
They elected Bell.
Denise Hall
He needs to go.
Joey Blalock
Wait I thought all these democrats were against all these walls! DA’s
Joan Buzbee McCrary Clement
Good!!!
Joan Buzbee McCrary Clement
Good!!!
Kerrie Shoults Stephens
The Mayor of Birmingham needs to be worrying more about violent crime in his city than these monuments. TWO MORE homicides took place in the city during the building of this barricade
Kerrie Shoults Stephens
The Mayor of Birmingham needs to be worrying more about violent crime in his city than these monuments. TWO MORE homicides took place in the city during the building of this barricade
Nichalaus Sims
The backhanded comments on this thread speak volumes about how ready people are to jump on the opportunity to bring down others and even their own community.
Nichalaus Sims
The backhanded comments on this thread speak volumes about how ready people are to jump on the opportunity to bring down others and even their own community.
Dianne Bobo-Carraway
Yeah!!! This is history not racism
Dianne Bobo-Carraway
Yeah!!! This is history not racism
Zaneta Lamar
He just filed that law suit to please all his racist constituents.
Zaneta Lamar
Take that history to your park or your front yard
Zaneta Lamar
You all are showing just how racist y’all are.
Mark Kelly
Smart people can question the mayor’s motivations AND bemoan the attorney general’s apparently successful appeal to white supremacy.
Thomas Burleson
No, city residents elected him. People who see the monument everyday and should have a say are living in Jefferson County, Shelby County, Blount County, St Clair County and Walker County not just in the city of Birmingham.
Donna Fields
I disagree with removing them, I would not get a vote because I do not live in the city limits. Rarely go there and spend money, it doesn’t seem to be a safe city. GRANDSTANDING mayor and city leaders. Some never learn that some things you leave alone and move on. Pick your battles mayor you have a lot of crime and murders in the “fair” city.
Donna Fields
When people like Roland realize stuff like this is what holds people back. I agree Craig Mix on your view of Trump. If all this stupidly would stop he could get on with fixing the mess in this country.
Donna Fields
I don’t like him, he and Holder did alot to grow the racial divide in such a short time. It seems like people turn out just to be violent and destroy stuff.
Donna Fields
Some are showing how logical they are. Only the logical can see it.
J Jewell
I see Roland Hill Is back, for real quiet and then found his platform to further his racist rants. I sent it to FedEx for review cause I’m not so sure you won’t destroy stuff that is going to white receivers. You are so ignorant. That you actually said our President is illiterate and first misspelled it. That our ancestors sold yours into slavery. Your ancestors sold your own ancestors into slavery. That’s how mine found out about it in the trade triangle. Get off Facebook and open a history book, oh, wait..you want to remove all history so I guess we can not have the questions of Dad, who is that statue of? That, son, was someone who fought to keep the country divided in slavery of blacks….and they were wrong for it , they did not win that fight and all they got was a stupid statue. So that these questions are asked”. You must HATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE? Since she is totally opposite to your views to erase any and all reverence the DEMOCRATS created and erected. Please educate yourself.
Laura W Garner
Bell just wants votes
William Kennedy
So, do the good people of Pelham and Jasper have to clear local decisions with Birmingham?
Gail Smith Wright
Under cover of darkness the “so-called” leaders of Birmingham broke a state law and tried to hide this monument. It actually appears to be giving “the finger” to history, the state laws, and those who believe history should be preserved as a lesson for generations.
Jason Sherk
A statue of a traitor is not history. Just idol worship.
Jason Sherk
Statue of a racist traitor doesn’t belong in the U.S.A.
Jason Sherk
Joey Blalock They weren’t traitors.
Jason Sherk
Thomas Burleson Yeah, since I drive through a city that I don’t live in, I still can have a say about their public parks. Idiot much?
Jason Sherk
Thomas Burleson Maybe the citizens of Birmingham should have a say in Blount or Walker County-that would be epic.
Roland Hill
You’re an ignorant bastard thank you for reading my comments I’m a self made man I don’t work for whitey Biach so you look at that under review and stick it in your racist A$&. Condoleeza is a beautiful African American Queen that somehow fell victim to the racist rhetoric. I don’t need to read history, I live it everyday. Do what u do best take your tiki torch and stick it.
Shirley Carmack
First the cross in Pensacola, now this? Yet this is still standing .
God help a country that sees nothing wrong with this.
Thomas Burleson
William Kennedy, Jason Sherk my point is the local populace isn’t the only ones looking at it everyday. So the point of the people who look at it everyday having a say in whether it stays or goes is my point. Local residents are not the only ones who have to look at it. So therefore whoever sees it daily should have a voice in the matter. No Birmingham shouldn’t have a say in Walker County’s local decisions or Blount County’s decisions but your moronic ways of thinking can’t comprehend what I’m trying to say!
Jason Sherk
We are still under his fiscal year budget.
Shequita Nixon
VERY well said!
Kim Hutchison
Shequita Nixon thank you
Shequita Nixon
Jay Staas Votes
Shequita Nixon
Doug Williams Yep
Shequita Nixon
Donna Fields Well said
Shequita Nixon
Typical response
Tombstone Ted
Thats how you start a Socialistic Revolution. You over burden those with money, take the middle class and destroy their income then you tell the poor its everyone else fault and they need to stand up and revolt…. there you have the makings of a revolution into socialism. OBAMA DID ALL THIS LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD DO…. “Remaking America” the way he wanted it. George Sorros is financing it all.
Gail Smith Wright
Jason Sherk he was a graduate of West Point, served this country in the Mexican-American war, was a decorated member of the U S military. He is part of our history. Every monument in this country could be offensive to someone. We could just take them all down, quit teaching history, and let idiots remain idiots.
Brenda Hasty
Sad thing is it will be costing us the taxpayers.
Leevon Crenshaw
Can we all agree this is a total waste of tax dollars and resources?
Justin Misso
This monument should never come down.
James Pate
Actually he deserted the U.S military for the confederacy. Not very honorable in my opinion
Gail Smith Wright
James Pate wrong