FAGAN: Mitch Landrieu And The Wrong Side Of History

We should not honor men who landed on the wrong side of history. This in a nutshell is the argument Mayor Mitch Landrieu employs to justify tearing down four New Orleans historical monuments.

But how will history remember Mayor Landrieu?

Mayor Landrieu is in the process of removing monuments honoring men who ended up on the wrong side of history. This is not to say they had no redeeming qualities. But when it came to the major issue of their day, slavery, they got it wrong.

It’s hard for us to imagine these days how anyone could justify considering people of color less than human and therefore condemning them to a life of slavery. How could we have dehumanized so many treating them as property and ignoring their basic fundamental human rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

Ironically the same dehumanization of people used to justify slavery 150 years ago is used by Mayor Landrieu and others to justify the killing of babies at the hands of an abortionist.

Mr. Landrieu claims the men honored by the four monuments he’s targeted were racists. But will history record Mr. Landrieu as a racist for supporting the right of an abortionist to take the life of an innocent baby boy or girl when a disproportioned number of babies killed are black?

Consider this. Margret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the nation began what she called the “Negro Project” close to 90 years ago. Sanger made it very clear the project was designed to eliminate the black race.

Today in many American cities more black babies are killed at the hands of an abortionist than are born. And while blacks make up only 12 percent of the population close to 40 percent of abortions in America are of black babies. Close to 1000 black babies a day are killed at the hands of an abortionist.

I believe 150 years from now many will look back at our time and wonder how and why leaders like Mitch Landrieu who call themselves pro-choice supported the killing of so many black babies just as most of us now look with horror at a time when so many supported slavery.

But there is more to Mr.Landrieu’s record than his consistent and full throated support of abortion. He currently presides as mayor over a city with more shootings per capita than Chicago. In 2016 more than 600 people were wounded or killed by gunfire in New Orleans. That’s about 50 gunshot victims a month last year and this year the trend continues. The vast majority of gun shot victims were black. Despite that Mr. Landrieu focuses on tearing down monuments.

Slavery has finally ended but it is still a dangerous time for many blacks in New Orleans. Whether through gang violence or at the hands of an abortionist, lives are in danger throughout that city. How will Mayor Mitch Landrieu be remembered when it comes to providing blacks the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Much like the men honored by the monuments he is tearing down, on the wrong side of history.

Editor’s Note: A guest post from Dan Fagan, a former television news reporter, journalism professor, newspaper columnist, and radio talk show host. He grew up in New Orleans and currently lives there. You can reach him at faganshow@gmail.com.

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