The City of St. Louis won’t be able to free itself from the monument that glorifies slavery and the Confederacy until after Independence Day, as the fight to remove the monument has moved from Forest Park to the Courthouse.
On Monday, June 19, Judge Robert Dierker put a halt to dismantling the structure until July 6 to determine ownership. Last week, the Daughters of the Confederacy claimed it was the rightful owner and gave its deed to the Missouri Civil War Museum, who offered to move it at no cost to the City, with a promise not to re-erect it in St. Louis City or County.
A statement from Mayor Lyda Krewson’s office said, “I believe the city owns the monument but that will ultimately be determined by the courts. There are a number of statues in our parks and around our regions. If someone were to come forward and claim to own another statue, what will the outcome be?”
The City does not want it re-erected anywhere. Already, the city has spent thousands of dollars in labor and equipment rental to remove the monument.
