Chicago says ciao to Columbus statues
Italian Americans livid over decision by mayor
CHICAGO — Two statues of Christopher Columbus that stood in Chicago parks were taken down early Friday at the direction of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a week after protesters trying to topple one of the monuments to the Italian explorer clashed with police.
Crews used a large crane to remove the statue in downtown Chicago’s Grant Park from its pedestal. A small crowd cheered, and passing cars honked as the statue came down about 3 a.m. The second statue was removed about 5:30 a.m. from Arrigo Park in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood.
In a statement issued after the statues were taken down, the Democratic mayor’s office said they were being “temporarily removed … until further notice.” It said the removals were “in response to demonstrations that became unsafe for both protesters and police, as well as efforts by individuals to independently pull the Grant Park statue down in an extremely dangerous manner.”
The statues’ removal came after hundreds of protesters gathered Thursday night near Lightfoot’s home to call for defunding of the Chicago Police Department. The crowd cheered when an activist used a megaphone to inform them that Lightfoot would be removing the Grant Park statue.
“Thank you for the statue. Now defund CPD,” the protesters shouted after an organizer led the crowd in a celebratory chant, the Chicago Suntimes reported.
The removal followed hours of vocal confrontations between opponents and supporters of the statue.
Both the Grant Park and Arrigo Park statues were vandalized last month. Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in other U.S. cities as protesters have called for their removal, saying that Columbus is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.
Pasquale Gianni of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans said the mayor had told him ahead of time that both statues would be moved and temporarily housed elsewhere for public safety reasons.
“The Italian American community feels betrayed. The mayor’s office is giving in to a vocal and destructive minority. This is not how the democratic process is supposed to work,” he told WLS-TV.