A group that aligns itself with the Black Lives Matter movement used black spray paint to deface and threaten the City of New Orleans this past weekend.
“Take ‘Em Down Nola”, a group that calls for the removal of all monuments that are linked to the Confederacy, has been pressuring city officials to remove certain monuments for over a year.
The vandals targeted the city’s P.G.T. Beauregard monument, Jefferson Davis monument, and Lee Circle, a monument for Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
“These structures litter our city with visual reminders of the horrid legacy of slavery that terrorized so many of this city’s ancestors. They misrepresent our community”, the group’s Facebook page states. “We demand the freedom to live in a city where we are not forced to pay taxes for the maintenance of public symbols that demean us and psychologically terrorize us.”
Pictures obtained by Brietbart show the damage done to the monuments.
Take ‘Em Down Nola spray-painted scissors and perforation lines around the base of the Lee Circle monument, alluding to the demolition of the monument. The vandalism covering the Beauregard monument reads “Take ‘em down, or we will.” The group also spray- painted a similar threat on the Jefferson Davis monument, “We ready, we comin’. Take ‘em down.”.
Although the New Orleans Police Department has yet to make any arrests for the crime, Public Information Officer Dawne Massey told Breitbart that the city’s law enforcement was “monitoring the situation”.
The vandalism and threats from Take ‘Em Down appeared shortly after one group member revealed plans to vandalize another New Orleans monument at a forum held by the group this past Thursday. According to The New Orleans Advocate, Take ‘Em Down organizer, Malcolm Suber, threatened to physically rip down an Andrew Jackson monument located in Jackson Square.
The Advocate also quoted Take ‘Em Down member Angela Kinlaw openly stating that the group will not wait for the city to make a decision on the monuments before they take action. “The key is we’re not going to wait. The city has taken plenty of time to make a decision. But the people are ready to move.”
The group’s website lists a “Take Down Action” event planned for September 24, just a few days before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments regarding the lifting of an order that prevented the removal of the monuments.