Saturday, September 24, 2016, New Orleans 

Today I went to bear witness to the historical attempt to remove Andrew Jackson’s statue from Jackson Square. I did not know what to expect, nor did I know my stance entirely, however I do know that in the times in which we are living, it feels right to see the world first hand.

Here is what I observed: An elder gentleman experienced signs of heatstroke in the Square–A small group of people went to his immediate aid and called paramedics, who arrived swiftly and were able to get through to him. I counted 28 police officers by hand, 4 of whom were on horseback. There were police barricades surrounding the statue. I did not see any signs of David Duke myself (although an acquaintance of mine just posted a video of him marching through the streets with a megaphone). I heard many tourists asking what was going on and many people quietly discussing recent events in thoughtful discourse. I saw many families out. I observed a Second Line for a woman recently deceased, as well as the intersection of a Harley Davidson cookout (both of which are not included in my photos below). I heard one person towards Canal, in observation of the peacefulness say, “See this is how we do it here in New Orleans.” I left after 2pm so I did not observe the march in its entirety. The mood that I felt though was hope for change.