Monument wreath supports French
Published 9:28 pm Friday, January 9, 2015
Two Selma residents took a moment Friday to reflect on this week’s terrorist attacks in Paris, France.
With permission from Selma Mayor George Evans, Julian Wait and David Hurlbut placed a wreath on the Bienville Monument to show their support to the French people.
Earlier this week, two brothers with ties to al-Qaeda gunned down 12 people at a satirical magazine.
“[France] helped us form this country,” Wait said, referring to the country’s assistance during the Revolutionary War. “I just wanted to show that we’re standing up for them, because that’s horrible what they’re going through.”
The Bienville Monument marks Selma’s first recorded name —Ecor Bienville.
Sitting in Bienville Park on Water Avenue, the statue is meant to commemorate the friendship between French colonizer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur De Bienville and the Alibamo Indians.
“I’m just someone who’s been a living here for a decade, and I think it’s a great idea,” Wait said. “Because anytime your country or city is in a jam like that, it’s very nice to know that other cities and countries are backing you up.”
Brothers Said Kouachi and Cherif Kouachi killed 12 at the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly magazine Wednesday.
Amedi Coulibaly, an accompliance, allegedly took five hostages Friday afternoon at a kosher grocery.
One hostage was freed after French police fatally shot the three suspects after standoffs. French Police said four other hostages were killed at the supermarket where they were held against their will, according to reports.