New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

(New Orleans Advocate) – Mayor Mitch Landrieu advanced his call for the removal of four New Orleans Confederate and post-Civil War monuments Thursday by urging the City Council to begin a legal process that officially would label them as “nuisances.” Landrieu for the first time also proposed renaming Jefferson Davis Parkway to honor recently retired Xavier University President Norman Francis.

Appearing before the council at its regular meeting, Landrieu called on its members to hold hearings and solicit comments and recommendations from various city agencies before drafting an ordinance that would declare the monuments to be nuisances and allow for their removal.

The council then unanimously adopted a motion to begin that process.

While calling for a civic discussion on the path forward, Landrieu made clear that he believes the statues should be removed.

“To maintain these symbols as we move toward our future seems to belie our progress and does not reflect who we truly are or who we want to be,” he said. “I ask you, how can we expect to inspire a nation when our most prominent public spaces are dedicated to the reverence of those who fought for bondage and supremacy of our fellow Americans?”

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