NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – The ‘Take ‘Em Down Nola’ group, which has aligned itself with the Black Lives Matter movement, is now saying publicly they plan to tear down New Orleans’ most iconic monument in the city.
During a protest outside of New Orleans City Hall, a group of Take ‘Em Down Nola, which has made threats against the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration in the past, said police will have to step aside this weekend as they plan to physically tear down the equestrian Andrew Jackson monument in the French Quarter.
“So you plan on tearing down the Andrew Jackson monument?” one reporter asked the spokesman of Take ‘Em Down Nola.
“Yes,” the spokesman responded.
When asked about how sure Take ‘Em Down Nola was on the threats of ripping the statue down, the spokesman said “That’s not a threat, that’s a promise.”
“We understand that the city and the police department are going to be out there to try and prevent us [from tearing down the monument], but we’re asking them to step aside and let us do what is our civic duty,” the spokesman said.
Take ‘Em Down Nola said it had been “too long” for residents to see four historical monuments in the city come down, after Landrieu pushed the idea last year following the AME Baptist Church shooting in South Carolina.
The Andrew Jackson monument is not included in Mayor Landrieu’s collection of four monuments, which includes the iconic General Robert E. Lee statue, commonly dubbed “Lee Circle” at the heart of the city’s central business district.
Take ‘Em Down Nola is not only asking that monuments be removed from the public square, but is now demanding that a local Fox News-affiliate, FOX8 News, remove the Andrew Jackson from their logo design.
“Will you ask your people, your boss, to take Andrew Jackson off the logo,” a Take ‘Em Down Nola protester holding a ‘Stop Channel 8’ sign asked to a FOX8 news reporter.
Over the weekend, Take ‘Em Down Nola made threats against the City, vandalizing monuments with the message “Take ‘em down or we will,” as Breitbart Texas reported.
The group says they are expecting hundreds to come out to the Andrew Jackson protest to help tear down the monument this coming weekend.
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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