Mitch's true motives aren't relevant.  The motives that are relevant are those of black and white New Orleanians.  I frankly don't think that those white New Orleanians who were opposed to the removal of the Lee statue were motivated by race prejudice.  To them, the statue was a beautiful part of New Orleans.  That's reasonable and relevant, but not dispositive.  What's dispositive is that if we see this through the eyes of most New Orleans blacks, the symbolism of the statue outweighs its physical beauty.  This from me, EFC, more conservative than whom there are quite few.