Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2024 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Birmingham Says Monument Screen Doesn't Break Law

monument obstruction

The city of Birmingham says it did not violate state law when it put up a plywood box around a 52-foot-tall Confederate monument in a city park.

In a court filing yesterday, the city disputed the state of Alabama’s claims that Birmingham violated a law prohibiting the removal or alteration of any monuments more than 40 years old.

City attorneys argue the plywood structure surrounding the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument in Linn Park did not technically remove or alter the monument. They also argue the state is trying to stifle opposition to relics that “mourn the Confederacy’s ‘lost cause’ to operate as a separate and independent nation that fosters the enslavement of African-Americans.

Birmingham mayor William Bell erected the screen last year. The state of Alabama then sued the city, claiming it violated the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act. The screen has remained in place since it was first built.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.