Beaumont Rebel Statue Under Scrutiny

As Confederate monuments across the country come under scrutiny in the wake of violent protests in Charlottesville last weekend, two Beaumont city council members are addressing an often-overlooked Civil War statue downtown. The monument to "Our Confederate Soldiers," installed in 1912 in the sparsely used Wiess Park, praises the "deeds of valor, sacrifices and achievements which are without a parallel in the history of the world." At a city council meeting Tuesday, members Mike Getz and Audwin Samuel suggested making changes to the park before any conflict over the statue could escalate the way it did in Virginia.