Houston police preparing for Saturday's 'Destroy the Confederacy' protest



>>Confederate monuments and slavery artifacts in Texas. less Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo poses for a portrait at his desk, which he doesn't usually work from, at the HPD headquarters Tuesday, May 23, 2017, in Houston. ( Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle ) Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo poses for a portrait at his desk, which he doesn't usually work from, at the HPD headquarters Tuesday, May 23, 2017, in Houston. ( Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle ... more Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Staff Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Houston police preparing for Saturday's 'Destroy the Confederacy' protest 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

Houston police are beefing up security downtown Saturday for a planned Black Lives Matter gathering at which Chief Art Acevedo said he expects counter-protesters to appear.

Acevedo said he anticipates no problems at the 3 p.m. gathering, which organizers have dubbed "Destroy the Confederacy."

The event is set for 3 p.m. in front of a 100-year-old statue named the Spirit of the Confederacy at Sam Houston Park. An online petition to remove the monument garnered nearly 2,500 signatures as of Friday.

"We have an indication that folks with a different perspective might show up, and the bottom line is we will have sufficient resources at the event to ensure that anyone who shows up, with whatever point of view they have, they can exercise their rights in a safe environment," the chief said at a Friday press conference.

There will be some "minimal" road closures around the event, he added.

Mayor Sylvester Turner said he believes HPD is well prepared for all manner of protests.

"I simply would ask people to be on their best behavior," the mayor said. "People can express themselves, but they can do it in a very civil and orderly manner.

"Let's be very careful that we don't allow what's taking place in the national discourse to flow down into the city of Houston, where we're doing something where we're hurting the city of Houston, hurting our image and what we stand for."

Controversy over the statue emerged this week with an online petition and residents calling on the city to remove the statue, which features a winged angel holding a sword and palm branch. The statue was installed in the park in 1908.

Protesters are expected to gather around the statue, which is in a quiet area of the park near a duck pond. Counter-protesters have indicated they, too, will rally at the site.