NEW ORLEANS – Five protesters were arrested last night at a demonstration at the base of a statue of Jefferson Davis that is scheduled to be taken down.
Protesters both for and against the removal of Confederate-era monuments began amassing around 10 p.m. on May 1.
Not long after that, NOPD officers showed up and surrounded statue with police barricades.
Five people were arrested on the corner of Canal Street and Jefferson Davis Parkway during the protests, according to the NOPD.
Forty-three-year-old Norman Hillred, 35-year-old Theresa Wilden, and 32-year-old Columbia Bullion were all arrested and charged with disturbing the police.
Forty-two-year-old George Johnson was arrested for crossing a police line, and 33-year-old Dan Bingler was arrested for possession of marijuana and public intoxication, according to the NOPD.
There is no word on where the five people were from or if they have been released yet.
Overnight, a statue of General P.G.T. Beauregard, another Confederate-era monument scheduled to come down, was defaced by vandals.
NOPD officers and work crews appear to be amassing at the Jefferson Davis statue as of 11:00 a.m. on May 2, but the removal process had not yet begun.