The city council in Alexandria passed an ordinance last night to remove the confederate statue located in front of the Rapides Parish Courthouse.

The vote was unanimous, 6 to 0, while one councilman abstained.

Despite this vote, the monument will not be removed immediately. The ownership of the monument is still pending in the 9th Judicial District Court.

City officials believe Alexandria owns the monument, but no paperwork confirming that has been located. Once ownership is determined, then the future of the statue can be decided.

Whatever the eventual outcome, the city council was pleased with their decision.

"We still need to move towards Alexandria being a bit more equitable for all people involved, so this is just the beginning. And today, I'm happy to be a member of the city council," said Councilman Malcolm Larvadain.

The monument was erected in 1914 at the old city hall in downtown Alexandria and moved to its current spot in 1962 when the new city hall was built.

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