Removing the Confederate memorials will stop the shootings.
Via WDSU:
Seven people were arrested Saturday at Jackson Square during a protest and attempted removal of the monument at the center of the space.
New Orleans police Chief Michael Harrison said during a news conference that he is proud of the work his officers did to keep protesters and onlookers safe.
Take ‘Em Down NOLA organized the protest to draw attention to the city’s slow response in removing four Confederate monuments in New Orleans. The statue of Andrew Jackson isn’t one that was approved for removal by the City Council, but the group said it’s just as bad and members wanted to take the matter into their own hands.
“This statue should have been taken down a long time ago. In this time of great divide, we don’t need this symbol of hatred standing up in our city as something that we look up to. He was a terrible man and he did a lot of really bad things, and that’s not something that our city should be representing,” Caroline Davenport said.
“For him to stand as a symbol that we praise in the middle of our city is just backwards and wrong. We need to do something good to create progress, and create a progressive system that would bring him down,” Shahamat Uddin said.
Organizers said protesters planned on pulling the statue down with ropes and chains. New Orleans police surrounded the area and put up barricades before the group arrived.
Harrison said he supports the group’s right to protest, but any damage to the statue would have resulted in serious consequences, and anyone responsible may have been charged with a felony.
Protesters met at Congo Square and marched to the statue in the French Quarter.
Dozens of tourists and onlookers joined the crowd as tensions escalated.
“I strongly feel the people who are here to tear down the statue, that the hate in their heart is a much bigger threat to us than that statue is,” Lorrie Drennan said.