Frank Rizzo Statue Should Be Abolished

“I doubt that you would so quickly commend the policemen if you were to observe their ugly and inhumane treatment of Negros here in the city jail; if you were to watch them push and curse old Negro men and young boys; if you were to observe them, as they did on two occasions, refused to give us food because we wanted to sing our grace together.” (King, Jr., n.d)

No matter what a person’s race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation is, everyone should enjoy equality. In the speech Speech Upon the Removal of Confederate Monuments by Mitch Landrieu, the Mayor of New Orleans, the removal of the Confederate monuments in New Orleans is discussed. The speech emphasises the fact that the Confederacy was wrong pertaining to their treatment of African Americans, and instead of teaching history, the Confederate monuments convey an image of inequality and violence. Mitch Landrieu argues for the deconstruction of historic Confederate monuments through his allusions to past historic events to contrast the modern shift of equality, so he can call the people to action to deconstruct the monuments. Through the

Men and women alike are often afraid to venture out into the streets at the dark hours of the day. It could be argued that this is a byproduct of the ever-increasing US crime rate, yet it may also be due to the natural fear that accompanies walking alone in public spaces, familiar or not. Although any shifty figures lurking on the sidewalk can be the source of this fear, it is no doubt that the gross misrepresentation of black people as perpetrators of violent crimes has given them “the ability to alter public space in ugly ways,” as so proficiently stated in “Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples (205). Through this short essay, Staples uses a variety of rhetorical devices, namely anecdotes, in order to present the fact that these preconceived racial notions can make certain individuals increasingly susceptible to societal scrutiny. This forces many individuals to make concentrated efforts to present themselves as less threatening because “where fear and weapons meet -- [as] they often do in urban America -- there is always the possibility of death” (206).

Before August 12, 2017 many Americans neither cared about nor thought about Confederate flags or monuments in their daily lives. On that day in Charlottesville, Va. was “… one of the bloodiest fights to date over the removal of Confederate monuments across the South.” (Stolberg) This tragic event brought light to a movement that was able to fly under the national radar until that fateful day in August, the removal of the Confederate flag and monuments. This paper will demonstrate the need to move the Confederate flag and Confederate monuments to museums where they can be displayed in the context of history instead of in the public square where they glorify traitors and insurrectionists as heroes. This will be done by providing a brief

Many years prior to the Civil War, Confederate statues, monuments, and other historical figures were placed thoroughly through the nation to represent the the remembrance of the Confederacy. In the “Monumental Battle” article, Laura Anastasia tells of the growing controversy that this nation has about the removal of Confederate monuments. The statues were placed to instill fear in the hearts of African Americans and portray a dominantly white future. THESIS !

Public space can easily be changed if you belong to certain minority groups that are stereotyped and devalued, such as being a person of color. Brent Staples describes his “ability to alter public space in ugly ways” in his essay “Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” (239). Racial profiling is still a discernible issue in America and Staples’ essay is a perfect example of the damaging effects racial profiling has on people of color. He recounts the event that caused him to become aware of the change his presence creates in public and the steps he took to help people not fear him during the walks he took at night to help battle his insomnia.

In April of 2015 a man named Freddie Gray was taken into custody by the Baltimore Police Department. While he was being arrested police officers beat Freddie Gray to the point of hospitalization. The next day Freddie passed away and the city of Baltimore erupted. Protesters flooded the streets which caused violent riots and looting. Soon cars were being set on fire, as well as local businesses and even retirement homes. Fox News and CNN both attempt to provide insight on the falling apart of the city of Baltimore, but CNN covers mainly one aspect, goes for the reader’s emotions, and lacks analyzation of the problem to do so persuasively. Fox News, on the other hand, analyzes the problem, offers a solution, and presents an overlooked cause for the riots.

When many individuals think of Cleveland, they think about gang violence and poverty. Furthermore, highly publicized events such as the RNC and the Gay Games, shows others that Cleveland is not as horrific as media portrays the city to be. Parts of Cleveland are not the friendliest, but much of Cleveland is beautiful and has much to offer to others. Moreover, Cleveland deciding to put the city out there and try to bring in new people was brilliant because people will learn that dreadful occurrences happen, but the city as a whole should not be blamed for the few indiscretions made by

In the “Speech Upon the removal of Confederate Monuments”, The Speaker, Mitch Landrieu, contrasts a dark past with the hope of a light future, arguing that in order to move on from the past, confederate symbols need to be taken off pedestals. Landrieu professes that to unite as a country, to teach the generations of the future, and to learn from the past’s mistakes, the confederate monuments should be removed. Through rhetorical devices, the speaker argues his values.

After a random poll was conducted to members of the Flushing community, it was found that many people have mixed feels towards the call from city officials and New York City residents for the removal of statues and monuments of historical individuals for their infamous actions as they are deemed to be reminders of slavery and inequality that previously existed in the United States.

Race riots in America is a story told so little, but a story that is key to the hard work and road laid for African Americans. In the 20th century in times where we knew African Americans fought persistently for Civil Rights, seldom is their the story about the early 20th century. In the beginnings of the 20th century Riots broke out across all of the United States, over eight issues which included the following: Prejudice, Economic Competition, Political Corruption and Exploitation of Negro Voters, Police Inefficiency, Newspaper Lies about Negro Crime, Unpunished Crimes Against Negroes, Housing, Reaction of Whites and Negroes from War. Over the course of a span of fifty years more than eight riots broke out, including Wilmington race

Staples, Brent. “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space.” 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology, Third Edition, edited by Samuel Cohen, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011, 383-386.

Towards the end of the panel, Ben Wright spoke on the Briscoe Center where the statues were relocated and described many of the works and archives at the center as “aesthetic”. Personally, I feel that this research unit is the best place for the statues because they can be conserved and viewed by the public without disregarding the past. There are many social issues surrounding slavery and freedom today and these statues are one more of a list of many. By taking down the statues, the university’s president risked a lawsuit, but protected students from a much greater

Throughout the 1960’s, the Civil Rights movement defied white supremacy and the supremacists who fought to uphold Jim Crow laws in the South. A famous example of a challenge to Southern racism would be Brown vs the Board of Education. After the Supreme Court ruled to de-segregate school systems, violence and resistance erupted in the South. Just like during Reconstruction, the federal government had to intervene to protect the rights of American citizens. This research paper will also observe current events, such as the removal of the Confederate Flag from the Capitol building in 2000 and later from the Capitol grounds in Columbia, South Carolina in 2015. These events, along with the public opinion in the 1960’s, demonstrate the feelings of resentment some individuals maintain towards African Americans for a war that was lost, are still preserved within the

The American Civil War was a clouded era where, by comparison to modern norms, judgement was ill evolved; during the American Civil War era, slavery was still acceptable in certain parts of the country. However, it was nevertheless a cultural turning point in the history of our nation. Our nation has not always been the cultural mixing pot it is now. To arrive to modernity, there are many factors that we ought to take into consideration so we can be knowledgeable about how we got to where we are today. In the past months, there have been events that have caused a big spark in the debate of Confederate monuments; such as the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where protesters and counter-protesters caused a riot, and a big part of their fight pertained to if specific Confederate monuments should be removed or be able to stay. Some argue that Confederate monuments should be removed due to the very apparent connections to slavery and racism and also that times are rapidly changing. However, I argue that Confederate monuments should be preserved, but the monuments should also be evolving with our ever-changing society, in order to be honest about our nation’s past even if those memorials are somber or difficult to talk about. If we were to keep Confederate monuments we should add placards where it talks about specific events that will help with maintaining the education and learning of the American Civil War.