City removes 2nd of 4 Confederate statues in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Workers wearing bulletproof vests and helmets removed the statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in New Orleans before dawn today amid cheers from a crowd of people glad to see it taken down.

The statue was the second of four Confederate monuments in the city slated for removal in a contentious, monthslong process that has sparked protests on both sides.

As the statue was lifted from its perch on a grassy median along one of the city's main thoroughfares, a cheer went up from some of the dozens of protesters on the scene who have been pushing for the monument's removal. It was then lowered behind trucks encircled around the monument's base and out of view of media gathered on the scene.

Removal of the statue – a larger-than-life image of Davis atop an ornate granite pedestal roughly 15-feet high – follows recent protests at the site by supporters and opponents of the monuments.

City officials had refused to give advance public notice of the work because of threats of violence against contractors and workers involved in the effort. The statue was first unveiled in 1911.

Dozens of protesters both supporting the monuments and calling for their removal stayed up overnight to watch the proceedings which happened in early-morning darkness. The demonstrators were separated by metal barriers set up by the police and heckled each other from opposite sides of the barricade. About fifty police officers encircled the monument and kept watch on the protesters.

As preparation for removing the Davis statue, workers had wrapped the torso in a green bubble wrap and then placed a harness attached to a crane around the statue. Workers wore bulletproof vests, scarves that covered their faces and helmets, reflecting the high tensions and security concerns surrounding the monument's removal.