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Caddo Parish ComMISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Photo & Article Credit: Robert M. Watt

This is the former location of the Caddo Parish Confederate Monument in downtown Shreveport. The contractor finished the job about ½ year ahead of the Decmeber 31 deadline that it was given.

Caddo Parish Commission Votes to Remove Monument

Vote Split 7–5


The Confederate Monument and the Third National Flag of the CSA (“Blood-Stained Banner”) sit outside the Caddo Parish Courthouse.

— Photo courtesy eji.org

The vote came during a Caddo Parish Commission meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19.

Seven commissioners voted for removal: Jerald Bowman, Lynn Cawthorne, Stormy Gage-Watts, Steven Jackson, Louis Johnson, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Matthew Linn.

Five commissioners voted against removal: John Atkins, Mario Chavez, Doug Dominick, Mike Middleton, and Jim Smith.

For more details:

Monument Sits on Land Owned by Parish

Confirmation by Parish Attorneys

Though it is widely believed that the Caddo Parish Commission donated the land where the Confederate Monument sits outside the Parish Courthouse to the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1903, that perception is mistaken. The records of the Caddo Parish Tax Assessor’s Office reflect that the Parish of Caddo is in full ownership of the entire block which encompasses the location of the Confederate Monument at the courthouse square. Former parish attorney Dannye Malone and current parish attorney Charles Grubb have confirmed these findings.

An Independent Review

In 2002, the Caddo Parish Commission requested that the Parish Attorney provide an opinion as to the ownership of the land where the monument sits. The Parish Attorney commissioned a thorough and independent review of the public records of the Caddo Parish Police Jury and/or the Caddo Parish Commission; the mortgage and conveyance records of the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court and/or Caddo Parish Tax Assessor’s Office; consultations with Mr. Eric J. Brock, Social and Architectural Historian; and United Title of Louisiana, Inc. The findings of this review were outlined in a letter from Mr. Malone to the Commission dated March 28, 2002, which included:

  1. On October 17, 1951, the Caddo Parish Police Jury authorized and instructed the custodian of the Caddo Parish Courthouse and Grounds to erect a flagpole on or adjacent to the Confederate monument on the courthouse lawn for the purpose of flying a Confederate flag.
  2. The Parish of Caddo’s ownership of Block 23, City of Shreveport, has been long since established by virtue of acquisitive prescription. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of the Parish to provide maintenance of the courthouse square.

According to the following sources:

  • United Title of Louisiana Inc.
  • Parish Attorney Charles Grubb
  • Former Parish Attorney Dannye Malone
  • Social and Architectural Historian, Eric Brock

KTBS News

  • The Parish Commission has jurisdiction to:
  • Provide maintenance of the courthouse square.
  • Determine whether to replace the Confederate flag when it becomes deteriorated.
  • Remove the flagpole that the Policy Jury erected by vote in 1951.
  • Move the monument from Block 23, City of Shreveport, which is owned by the Parish of Caddo.