iStock/Thinkstock(NEW ORLEANS) — A New Orleans school, located near a monument that honors Confederate President Jefferson Davis, warned parents on Wednesday that the statue would be removed Thursday, according to an audio recording heard by ABC News.
Morris Jeff Community School staff sent out a recorded message late Wednesday to parents, saying that the New Orleans Police Department had confirmed that the Jefferson Davis monument would be removed overnight.
The school said it would be open on Thursday, but it warned parents to take an alternate route because roads in the area might be closed.
Parents were asked not to share the news on social media as the school feared it could intensify crowds.
“For safety and security please do not post this on social media because doing so may attract more protesters,” the message said.
New Orleans voted to remove four Confederate-era monuments in 2015 because the statues for many residents are symbols of racism and white supremacy.
The city began the process of taking down the statutes late last month, starting with the removal of the monument to the Battle at Liberty Place, which New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said was put up to celebrate the murder of police officers by white supremacists. Workers in the removal crew wore masks and the area was heavily guarded by officers and snipers.
The city has not released a timeline for its removal plans, citing safety concerns.
However, Landrieu said the monument of Davis and the statues of Confederate generals Robert E.
Lee and P.G.T. Beauregard could come down “anytime, sooner rather than later.”
Proponents and opponents of the removal plan have taken part in sometimes tense demonstrations at monument sites.
Multiple protesters were arrested and charged with disturbing the peace on Sunday after a fight broke out at an event held to celebrate the removal of the Liberty Place monument.
The demonstration attracted more than 700 people, including counter-protesters who carried Confederate flags.
Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
