Police moved in on Monday night to disperse more than 100 protesters who gathered near the Jefferson Davis monument on the Jefferson Davis Boulevard neutral ground at Canal Street.
Pro and anti-monument demonstrators faced off for over an hour, exchanging words in a testy confrontation. Four persons reportedly were detained. One man said he received a summons for crossing a police line.
The Advocate reported that several of the monument supporters were armed with guns. One, reportedly carried a rifle and was armed with magazines.
Officers moved demonstrators across the street and set up barricades along the neutral ground. Over two dozen officers stood guard.
Most of the protesters had left the area by midnight. A short time later, Deputy NOPD Superintendent Paul Noel told reporters that no immediate action would be taken to remove the monument.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu has said that no action would be taken to remove monuments to Davis, Robert E. Lee and General P.G.T Beauregard during Jazz Fest.