Beauregard Parish Leaders Want The Statue Of P.G.T Beauregard

The Beauregard Parish Police Jury has expressed interest in taking possession of the P.G.T. Beauregard statue.

It was one of four controversial confederate statues taken down in New Orleans. Police Jury President Rusty Williamson says it’s the right place for the monument, since the parish is named after the Confederate General.

“The correct place I think to put it would be in the courthouse square but the blacks are kind of in an uproar over it. So, we would work with certain groups and find a suitable place to put it if we can get it.”

Members of the Beauregard Community Coalition do not support moving the statue to Beauregard Parish. But Williamson says after a poll of the police jury, they determined bringing it to the parish was the best idea to avoid the namesake statue ending up in the trash. He says there are a variety of places to erect the statue other than the courthouse.

“A lot of people have called us saying they have private property all over the parish from Ragley, Longville, Merryville, Singer. So, it doesn’t have to go there.”

Williamson says he will meet with the Community Coalition this week to discuss options for a location for the equestrian statue. But he says it’s unclear if or when they may get the statue because the removal of this monument is tied up in the courts.

“This statue was on private property and the city of New Orleans took it down without his permission so he filed a lawsuit for taking the statue down on private property and it’s in litigation.”