As protests against racism and police brutality continue to move strong across the United States, a goal of many activists has been to remove racist symbols from public spaces. From corporate rebranding to the removal of Confederate statues, many outdated symbols are seemingly on their way out.
Most recently, protestors in Washington D.C’s Lafayette Square attempted to take down a statue of President Andrew Jackson, who enslaved over 300 people in his lifetime and signed the Indian Removal act, orchestrating the forced displacement of 60,000 Native Americans known as the trail of tears. The bronze statue, which sits near the White House, was made by sculptor Clark Mills and was erected in 1852.
See a few images from the scene, as well as social clips, below.
https://twitter.com/_/status/1275234747669757954
https://twitter.com/_/status/1275216886901473286
https://twitter.com/_/status/1275226051535417346
https://twitter.com/_/status/1275234137096536065
The protestors attempted to pull down the statue with rope and were confronted by police in riot gear, who attacked them with tear gas and made multiple arrests, as White House staff was asked to evacuate.
Protestors clash with the police after attempting to remove the Andrew Jackson statue - Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
President Trump, who recently held a controversial rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, weighed in on the statue incident, calling it “disgraceful vandalism” He also later announced he has “authorized the Federal Government to arrest anyone who vandalizes or destroys any monument, statue or other such Federal property in the U.S. with up to 10 years in prison.”
https://twitter.com/_/status/1275379758021390336
