Caddo Courthouse Protest Draws Some Heat

Every Saturday since the call for police reform there has been a demonstration on the front lawn of the Caddo Courthouse on Texas Street. The group of protesters are encouraged to show up, listen to people speaking on the open microphone, and even speak themselves on issues in the United States and locally in Shreveport.

Several protesters were in attendance on Saturday June 20th, but a group of people who oppose the protesters were also there. A group of people who want to protect the Confederate monument on the front lawn of the Caddo Courthouse.

During the demonstration, there were several people who went to the microphone to speak. Many of them spoke about the monument on the lawn and what it meant to them. Most had a negative view of the monument, seeing it as steeped in racist traditions.

During a calm moment in the protest, I noticed that there were some protesters climbing on the monument. They began pulling American flags and Black Lives Matter embroidered jackets out of bags. They began wrapping the American flags around the heads of the Confederate busts that encircle the monument, followed by draping the Black Lives Matter jackets over their shoulders.

This action provoked a response from those who were there to protect the monument. There were a few tense moments and police were called to the scene. The protesters were asked to take the flags and jackets off of the monument. After that, the tension devolved in to debate. The protesters and those who opposed them were able to keep things peaceful.