Protesters Attempt to Take Down Statue of Andrew Jackson in D.C.

On Monday night, protesters gathered in Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Square and attempted to remove a statue of the slaveholder Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the U.S., but were unsuccessful. They used rope, which they tied to the statue, to try and pull it down. The bronze statue of Jackson was made by sculptor Clark Mills and is located near the White House. It was erected in 1852. 

dc going for andrew jackson statue on lafayette square. pic.twitter.com/gXbjBW272d

— jen 🌩 byers (@scorpiontongue_) June 22, 2020

Protestors tonight are trying to take down the statue of Andrew Jackson near the White House. Per @CNN reporters were told to leave the White House. pic.twitter.com/97NJ81FFO4

— Amy Siskind 🏳️‍🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) June 23, 2020

Police used pepper spray on protesters and made multiple arrests. Cops are also reported to have attacked protesters with batons and rubber bullets.

US Park Police escalating violence against protests outside the White House, captured here firing directly into packed crowds. Pepper spray and pepper ball bullets were deployed multiple times on the crowd. #dcprotest #dcprotests #BlackLivesMatterDC pic.twitter.com/QnnYCRwQ0G

— Ben Davis (@bdaviskc) June 23, 2020

Wow. MPD is spraying and pushing #dcprotesters…the citizens of DC deserve better #dcprotest #dcrotests pic.twitter.com/460fxSnNUK

— DMVProtests (@DmvProtests) June 23, 2020

Reporters are told to leave the White House amid reports protesters attempted to remove an Andrew Jackson statue nearby.@kaitlancollins reports saying tensions are running high. pic.twitter.com/BotitSUYK3

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) June 23, 2020

Donald Trump commented on the incident and called it “disgraceful vandalism.” He also threatened protesters with “10 years in prison.”

Numerous people arrested in D.C. for the disgraceful vandalism, in Lafayette Park, of the magnificent Statue of Andrew Jackson, in addition to the exterior defacing of St. John’s Church across the street. 10 years in prison under the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act. Beware!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2020

As news of protesters attempting to remove the Jackson statue began to circulate, people took to social media to remind people that Jackson was a white supremacist who committed numerous crimes against indigenous people and held dozens of Black people as slaves.

If any statue should be torn down it should be that of Andrew Jackson. His Indian Removal Act was a genocidal text, which was responsible for the systematic killing of Native Americans. #tearthemdown

— Louis Fishman لوي فيشمان לואי פישמן (@Istanbultelaviv) June 23, 2020

Andrew Jackson was not only a plantation slave owner but also forcibly relocated the Cherokee from their ancestral lands in a journey so inhumane it’s known as the Trail of Tears. Having his statues dishonor our land and his face on the $20 bill over Hariett Tubman is a disgrace.

— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) June 23, 2020

Andrew Jackson, 7th US president ws also a prosperous land owner. His 1,050 acres was used to plant cotton grown by slaves. He ‘owned’ as many 300 men,women and children. Punishment was flogging. Tear down his statues. pic.twitter.com/VxzwWwG7py

— Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) June 23, 2020

Andrew Jackson was so bad that John Calhoun, who called slavery a “positive good” on the Senate floor and invented nullification, thought he should be court martialed. Jackson got off on killing Native Americans and committed genocide. There should not be statues of him anywhere.

— Adam Jentleson 🎈 (@AJentleson) June 23, 2020

Of his crimes against humanity, Andrew Jackson was the evil force behind the Indian Removal Act and the tragic murderous Trail of Tears. It’s been too long, the nation must take historic responsibility for the genocide of our First Nations people.

— Aimee Allison (@aimeeallison) June 23, 2020

Left: Andrew Jackson reward for runaway slave incl. an extra 10 bucks for 100 lashes. $30 for 300

Right: In Seminole War, AJax “ordered his men to destroy crops, take women & children hostage, and deploy savage dogs”

Swell guy. IDK why anyone would want to take down his statue? pic.twitter.com/EwIGr0dWeN

— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) June 23, 2020

Andrew Jackson was a racist slave owner responsible for the Trail of Tears, the forced migration of 60,000 Native Americans that killed 4,000 through exposure, disease and starvation. If I was near Lafayette Park tonight, I would have joined the effort to pull down his statue.

— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) June 23, 2020

Andrew Jackson was a garbage human and a disgraceful president. Fuck that guy forever. Get him off our money, get rid of his statues. We’ll never be able to make up for what the US did in forcing tribes from their land, but denouncing that asshat is a start.

— Zach Kornfeld (@korndiddy) June 23, 2020