After the flag: Confederate symbols come under fire

As the chorus of those calling for the removal of the Confederate battle flag grows louder in the wake of last week's massacre at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C., officials in several cities are considering what to do with other historical symbols — including statues, monuments and street names — of the Confederacy, some of which have been vandalized in recent days.

In Baltimore, county officials called on the city to give them approval to change the name Robert E. Lee Park, named for the Confederate Civil War general, to Lake Roland Park.

"In a region as diverse as the Baltimore Metropolitan area," the officials wrote in a letter, "the new name is much more sensitive to the diverse population that visits and utilizes the park."

In New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu said his office is taking a fresh look at some of the symbols, including a statue of Robert E. Lee, as the city approaches its 300th anniversary in 2018.

"These symbols say who we were in a particular time, but times change," a spokesman said in a statement to the Times-Picayune newspaper. "Mayor Landrieu believes it is time to look at the symbols in this city to see if they still have relevance to our future."

In Nashville, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper called on state leaders to remove a bust of Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, from the state capitol.

"Symbols of hate shouldn't be promoted by government," Cooper wrote on Twitter.

In Austin, Texas, a Change.org petition calling for the removal of the statue of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, from the University of Texas campus has generated more than 2,000 signatures.

"Given Jefferson Davis’ vehement support for the institution of slavery and white supremacy," the petition reads, "we believe this statue is not in line with the university’s core values — learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility."

Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro agrees.

"I think people feel that it is time to put it in the past," Castro told a local radio station. "We understand it is part of this country's history, but the proper place for that is in a museum, and not on a public university campus."

The calls for removal of historical monuments come as several have been the targets of vandalism.

On Sunday, "Black Lives Matter" was seen spray-painted on the base of a Confederate memorial in Charleston. Similar graffiti has since appeared at a Confederate soldiers memorial in Baltimore and at the base of the Davis statue on the Austin campus.

Earlier this week, South Carolina lawmakers called for the removal of the Confederate flag at the state capitol in response to the church killings.

"Today, we are here in a moment of unity in our state, without ill will, to say it is time to move the flag from the capitol grounds," South Carolina Gov. Haley said Monday at news conference where she was joined by Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott.

Haley's call was echoed by major U.S. retailers, with Walmart, Amazon, eBay and Sears announcing bans on the sale of Confederate flag merchandise.

On Wednesday, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley joined the chorus, ordering Confederate flags taken down from the grounds of the state capitol.

While many believe the Confederate flag ought to be taken down, historical monuments are seen differently.

"Do we pull down Silent Sam, the rebel soldier standing on McCorkle Place at UNC-Chapel Hill? Do we disassemble the 75-foot obelisk on the Capitol lawn in Raleigh? Do we pack up every bronze tribute on every courthouse lawn? No," Josh Shaffer wrote in the Charlotte News & Observer. "History is offensive. We should keep it around as a reminder."

Shaffer added: "For me, there’s a big difference between letting a monument stand in a park and raising a flag over a city. A flag is an active symbol, requiring care and maintenance. A statue is passive, left to the pigeons and the rain."