Beheading, removal of Christopher Columbus statue adds to debate about racism

The beheaded statue of Christopher Columbus was removed Thursday from a North End park as the city reassesses controversial landmarks highlighted by the national dialogue about racism since the killing of George Floyd.

A crew removed the marble statue, leaving behind its granite pedestal, and took it into storage so that the damage could be assessed, officials said.

Mayor Martin Walsh has said the vandalism was out of line, but he added it’s time to “assess the historic meaning of the statue.”

Native American groups said they would strongly oppose efforts to restore the statue.

Mahtowin Munro, a spokeswoman for United American Indians of New England, said local indigenous groups also will continue to call on city and state officials to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.

“We have been protesting the statue for years as a monument to Indigenous genocide and land theft, African and Indigenous enslavement and white supremacy,” she said in a statement. “This park should… be a public place that feels welcoming to everyone in Boston, not a place that is a tribute to a genocidal monster.”

The Italian American Alliance, meanwhile, said it will hold a rally on Sunday to demand the restoration and return of the city-owned statue to Christopher Columbus Park.

“We are saddened by the vandalism that occurred in Columbus Park,” the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park said on their website, adding that their mission is “making it a welcoming and safe place for all who visit.”

State Rep. Aaron Michlewitz said in a statement that “vandalism to private or public property is a completely wrong way to go about making a case for change.

“While Christopher Columbus has a complex history and symbolizes many different things to different people, there is a lot more to the history of the park then just the naming of it,” Michlewitz said, noting that it was built in the late 1960s as “a celebration of Italian heritage.”

City Councilor Lydia Edwards, who also represents the North End, added: “We need to acknowledge that certain symbols can cause pain. We need to honor Italian heritage. Maybe we can celebrate Tom Menino, our city’s first Italian-American mayor. It’s a conversation I think we should have, and it should be led by Italian-American families, residents of the North End and our indigenous brothers and sisters.”

As protests over Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police spark a larger discussion about racism in the United States, Walsh said he’s also open to having “conversations” about changing the name of Faneuil Hall, which was built in 1742 with financing from merchant Peter Faneuil, who owned and traded slaves.

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2MPe5iD