Cranes, trucks and masked workers were deployed to a park in New Orleans before sunrise this morning to remove a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
There was a large police presence to protect the workers from protesters who had gathered to wave Confederate flags and voice their opposition to the city's removal of Confederate-era monuments. Workers wore masks to conceal their identities. This was the second monument removed by the city in two weeks. The first was a memorial to the Battle of Liberty Place which stood in place since 1891. Two more monuments are slated to be removed. (NBC News)
The mayor of New Orleans says the removal of these statues sends a message that New Orleans celebrates its "diversity, inclusion and tolerance."
The next statues to go are of Confederate Generals P. G. T. Beauregard and Robert E. Lee.