Linn Park Confederate Monument May Be Removed: Attorney General

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Confederate monument in Linn Park, which sparked a lawsuit in 2017 and was the source of demonstrations in the city Sunday night, may be taken down, according to Attorney General Steve Marshall. However, the city must pay a price for the removal.

“The Alabama Monuments Preservation Act provides a singular avenue forenforcement — the filing of a civil complaint in pursuit of a fine, which the Alabama Supreme Court has determined to be a one-time assessment of $25,000," Marshall said in a statement Monday. "The Act authorizes no additional relief."

Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin said Sunday night when he asked the crowd around the now-defaced monument to disperse that he would "finish the job" of taking down the monument.

"Should the City of Birmingham proceed with the removal of the monument in question, based upon multiple conversations I have had today, city leaders understand I will perform the duties assigned to me by the Act to pursue a new civil complaint against the City," Marshall said. "In the aftermath of last night’s violent outbreak, I have offered the City of Birmingham the support and resources of my office to restore peace to the City."

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled last year that the black wooden barrier around the monument placed by former mayor William Bell was illegal. The city was then ordered to pay the $25,000 fine. Removing the monument altogether carries the same punishment, and Woodfin said in a news conference Monday morning that paying the fine was worth restoring peace to the city.

The Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument had stood in its current spot in the city for 115 years.

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