Bad day for Albert Pike statue by MPD: Banner drop, rally and red paint

On the 18th of August, unknown activists hung a "modern Confederates" banner from the Albert Pike statue by MPD(police) headquarters. Later in the day, red paint was thrown on it during a protest demanding its removal.

At one point prior to the paint, a Daily Caller reporter tried to mix it up with protesters, earning himself a rebuke on Twitter for acting like "a prick." When either this "altercation" or another one provided a distraction, the monument get hit with the red paint. No arrests reported.

These are the third and fourth times something has happened at the Albert Pike statue since Charlottesville, reinforcing demands that this monument to a Confederate general known for his love of slavery and role in founding the Ku Klux Klan be removed. As this is written, the DC City Council is debating removing this offensive monument, though the cooperation of the National Park Service will also be required for a contractor rather than protesters to handle taking it down. As in Durham, North Carolina however, there is another, cheaper way to handle this.

Related:KKK cancels event in Durham, NC after huge counterprotest confronts racist stragglers who showed early