[12] On December 15, 2015, Wynton Marsalis explained his reasons for advocating removal in The Times-Picayune: "When one surveys the accomplishments of our local heroes across time from Iberville and Bienville, to Andrew Jackson, from Mahalia Jackson, to Anne Rice and Fats Domino, from Wendell Pierce, to John Besh and Jonathan Batiste, what did Robert E. Lee do to merit his distinguished position?

He fought for the enslavement of a people against our national army fighting for their freedom; killed more Americans than any opposing general in history; made no attempt to defend or protect this city; and even more absurdly, he never even set foot in Louisiana.

"[13][14] Contrary to assertions that Robert E. Lee never set foot in New Orleans, he visited or passed through the city in 1846, 1848, 1860 and 1861, while serving in the United States Army.

[22][23] According to authorities in Baton Rouge, early on the morning of January 19, 2016, the Fire Department found a 2014 Lamborghini Huracán ablaze in a parking lot behind David Mahler's company, H&O Investments, LLC.

This doomed the bill; five of the nine members of the Governmental Affairs Committee were African-American Democrats, and it was chaired by Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans.

[32] On August 14, 2016, pro-monuments House Bill 944 by Rep. Thomas Carmody, R-Shreveport, to create a state board with the power to grant or deny proposals to remove or relocate a statue, monument, memorial or plaque that has been on public property for more than 30 years died in the Municipal Affairs Committee after a 7–7 tie vote.

In support of its ruling the Court of Appeals panel held, "we have exhaustively reviewed the record and can find no evidence in the record suggesting that any party other than the City has ownership" and the plaintiffs failed to show any irreparable harm would occur to the monuments if the City of New Orleans were to remove them, even assuming such evidence would constitute a harm to the groups bringing the suit.

[37][38] On May 19, 2017, following a day long effort by work crews, just after 6 o'clock p.m. the statue of Lee was finally detached and then removed and lowered by crane from its column pedestal to a semi-trailer truck and transported to storage.

[42] The removal prompted Mississippi lawmaker Karl Oliver to post on Facebook that those supporting the take-down of the Confederate monuments "should be LYNCHED".