NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Latest on the removal of the second of four Confederate statues in New Orleans (all times local):
5:15 a.m.
Workers have removed the statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in New Orleans, the second of four Confederate monuments slated for removal.
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.
The City Council voted in 2015 to remove the four monuments but the process has been stalled in the courts.
Late last month, the first monument - a 35-foot-tall granite obelisk - was removed by masked workers under cover of darkness.
Also slated for removal are statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and P.G.T Beauregard.
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4:45 a.m.
A city news release says workers are preparing to take down a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in New Orleans, the second of four monuments to Confederate era figures the City Council has voted to remove.
Officials had refused to give advance public notice of Thursday morning’s removal, citing threats of violence against contractors and workers involved in the effort. The Davis statue has been the scene of protests by supporters and opponents of the monuments’ removal.
Late last month, the first monument - a 35-foot-tall granite obelisk - was removed by masked workers under cover of darkness. The obelisk was a tribute to whites who battled a biracial Reconstruction government installed in New Orleans after the Civil War.
Also slated for removal are statues of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and P.G.T Beauregard.
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