Crews to begin removal of Caddo Confederate Monument in 2022

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - A contract has been signed to remove the confederate monument at the Caddo Parish Courthouse in downtown Shreveport.

According to the contract, the monument will be moved to 23467 Hwy. 173 in DeSoto Parish. The contract also says the parish will pay the contractor a sum of $782,000 to move the monument.

The monument was placed there in 1906. Since then, the monument is at the center of a long battle between Caddo Commissioners and the owners of the monument — the Shreveport chapter of The Daughters of the Confederation.

In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a U.S. District Court decision in favor of the Caddo Commission to remove the monument.

The next step will come from the parish, as they have to come up with a timeline with their selected contractor to have the monument removed. It has to be done by Dec. 31. Sources say contractors will begin removing the monument in May.

“It’s something that I felt like we owed to those who paved the way for us, our ancestors, for those who couldn’t do anything about it. As I watched all over the world in 2020, people were destroying the monuments and it was never our desire to destroy, but put it in it’s rightful place. And for I think we made the best decision for all of our citizens in Caddo Parish and I believe that we are not about division but about unity,” said Caddo Commissioner Stormy Gage-Watts.

It will cost $782,000 for contractors to take down the monument. Until then, crews have boxed it in to prevent damage and vandalism.

FULL CONTRACT

Previous Coverage

• Caddo’s Confederate statue to be moved to DeSoto Parish
• Settlement reached in lawsuit over Confederate statue
• Emotions run high on fate of Confederate monument in Shreveport
• Shreveport chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy maintains National Register status on monument
• Caddo Commission votes 11-1 to place protective box around Confederate monument at parish courthouse
• Recent protests renew scrutiny of Confederate monuments
• Dispute over Confederate monument takes a turn
• Daughters of the Confederacy ordered to move monument at Caddo Courthouse
• Caddo approves $500,000 to remove Confederate statue
• Caddo Confederate statue’s owners disappointed with parish leaders
• United Daughters of the Confederacy sues Caddo Commission to block removal of Confederate monument

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