Birmingham Mayor Orders Confederate Monument Covered

BIRMINGHAM, AL - A Confederate monument located in Birmingham's Linn Park has now been obstructed from view, thanks to an order by Birmingham mayor William Bell last night. Bell's order was a way to skirt around a recent bill passed by the state legislature, and at the same time, made a statement regarding Confederate monuments and their place on public property. However, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall says the mayor is still violating state law.

Earlier this year, legislators passed a law prohibiting the removal of structures including Confederate memorials. So in order to comply with the law, Bell ordered the 52-foot-tall monument to be covered with wooden panels. Bell said the barrier is meant to be temporary until the fate of the statue is decided. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Birmingham Patch morning newsletter.)

Under the law, the Memorial Preservation Act, Marshall has the authority to fine the city $25,000 for each violation of the law. Marshall points to language in the state law that not only protects monuments from being removed, but also prevents them from being altered, which Marshall says Bell's order has done.

Under the lawsuit, Marshall's office will fine the city $25,000 for each day the monument is covered. Bell issued a statement to Alabama Media Group, which said, "We look forward to the court system clarifying the rights and power of a municipality to control its parks absent state intervention."

Marshall told AMG, "This is not an effort to punish the city of Birmingham financially," he said. "However , the legislature was pretty clear about what the fine should be and how it should be imposed."

(Photo of covered Linn Park monument by Sinclair Broadcasting)