NEW ORLEANS – Leaders of the group Take ’em Down NOLA are protesting the arrest of protestors accused of rolling a bust of John McDonogh into the Mississippi River.
Protesters in Duncan Plaza tore down a bust of McDonogh, a slave owner who left his wealth to build schools, last June. They then took the remains to the Mississippi River and rolled it into the water.
Twenty-seven-year-old Caleb Wassell and 30-year-old Michaela Davis were arrested for the incisent. Wassell is being charged with inciting a riot, illegal possession of stolen things, and theft under $1,000. Davis is being charged with inciting a riot, felony inciting a riot, possession of marijuana, principal theft, battery of a police officer, and aggravated flight from an officer.
In a statement, Take ’em Down NOLA said the oppose “the state sanctioned terror and repression upon those alleged to have been involved in removing the white supremacist bust to John McDonogh (Duncan Plaza) during a time where people locally, across the country, and around the world are resisting police terror and uprising for Black lives.”
