Statue in San Francisco that some call racist is removed

SAN FRANCISCO — A 19th century statue near San Francisco’s City Hall that some say is racist and demeaning to indigenous people was removed Friday and put into storage.

A group of Native Americans chanted, beat drums and burned sage as the workers used a crane to take down the statue depicting a Native American at the feet of a Spanish cowboy and a Catholic missionary. It was part of a group of statues depicting the founding of California.

Native American activists tried to have the statue removed for decades. They renewed efforts last year after clashes broke out across the U.S. over Confederate monuments.

The San Francisco Board of Appeals voted unanimously Wednesday for the removal of the statue, which had been in its location for 124 years.

The statue will be stay in storage until officials decide what to do with it.