Columbus statue, removed from a square in Providence, Rhode Island, re-emerges in nearby town
Three years after a Christopher Columbus statue was removed from a square in Providence, Rhode Island, the bronze cast has re-emerged, this time in a park in Johnston, Rhode Island, about 9 miles west of the capital.
Trump's Columbus Day proclamation includes stark warnings
WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trumpโs proclamation Friday commemorating Columbus Day veered from a typical White House holiday announcement, with stark warnings of โradical activistsโ seeking to tarnish the explorerโs legacy. Native American advocates have pressed states for years to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day over concerns that Christopher Columbus helped launch centuries of genocide against indigenous populations in the Americas. โSadly, in recent years, radical activists have sought to undermine Christopher Columbusโs legacy,โ Trump said in his proclamation declaring Monday Columbus Day. Trump frequently cites the commission at his campaign rallies, and he did so again in his proclamation Friday. Trump has also ordered federal agencies to end diversity training programs.
Christopher Columbus statue taken down at Chicago park
CHICAGO A statue of Christopher Columbus in downtown Chicagos Grant Park was taken down early Friday, a week after protesters trying to topple the monument to the Italian explorer clashed with police. Crews used a large crane to remove the statue from its pedestal as a small crowd gathered to watch. The crowd cheered and passing cars honked as the statue came down about 3 a.m. Several work trucks were seen in the area, but it was unclear where the statue would be taken. The removal came after hours of vocal confrontations between protesters and supporters of the statue on Thursday night. The Columbus statue in Chicago's Grant Park and another in the citys Little Italy neighborhood were vandalized last month, and statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in other U.S. cities.
Columbus statue toppled by Baltimore protesters
BALTIMORE Baltimore protesters pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the city's Inner Harbor on Saturday night. Protesters mobilized by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, Confederate figures and others. RAW VIDEO: A witness shared this video of the moments right after the statue was pulled down. He said a group came during ongoing protests in the park and pulled the statue down. Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami; Richmond, Virginia; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Boston, where one was decapitated.
AP Interview: Barcelona mayor wants Columbus statue debate
A seagull flies past the statue of Christopher Columbus in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, July 2, 2020. Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau is one of the few public officials who say Spain must revisit its colonial legacy - though she is against timid calls to remove the citys monument to Christopher Columbus. Instead, she wants to encourage a public discussion about the Italian explorer whose landing in the Caribbean in 1492 gave birth to Spains overseas empire. There is an open debate and we think that is positive and necessary, Colau told The Associated Press in an interview on Thursday. Nor have the other statues to Columbus who many Spaniards consider a discoverer and not a colonizer become sources of contention now.
Petition calls to rename Columbus, Ohio to Flavortown, honoring Guy Fieri
COLUMBUS, Ohio Thousands are calling on leaders in Columbus, Ohio to consider changing the citys name. More than 36,000 people signed a petition as of 9 p.m. Monday night to change the name from Columbus to Flavortown to honor Guy Fieri, a famous Columbus native. Supporters of the petition claim the citys name is tarnished by Christopher Columbus. ...Christopher Columbus, is in The Bad Place because of all his raping, slave trading, and genocide. Thats not exactly a proud legacy, reads the petitions description.
Columbus as supremacist? Some with Italian roots reject him
BOSTON Generations of Italian Americans embraced Christopher Columbus with little thought to the dark side of his legacy. There has always been the feeling that Italian Americans all feel the same way about Columbus, said Heather Leavell, 46, of Bedford, one of the founders of the group Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples' Day. For some, however including Francis Mazzaglia of the group the Italian American Alliance the destruction leveled at the Columbus statue amounts to a hate crime against Italian Americans. Corrie Popp, a 46-year-old high school English teacher and Waltham resident, said many younger Italian Americans are ready to dump Columbus. Most Italian Americans are big-hearted people, said Popp, whose mother is of Italian descent.
The Latest: Warren won't prosecute peaceful protesters
Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, right, speaks during a news conference Monday, June 15, 2020, in Tampa, Fla. Warren announced his decision not to prosecute dozens of protesters arrested on charges of unlawful assembly during a Black Lives Matter march on June 2. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)TOP OF THE HOUR: Florida state attorney won't prosecute peaceful protesters. State Attorney Andrew Warren in Tampa said that his office wont be filing charges against 67 protesters who were arrested two weeks ago in downtown Tampa. The prosecutors office will also work to expunge the arrest records of the protesters who were taken into custody, he said. In these unlawful assembly cases, there is no value in filing charges, Warren said at a news conference.
Minnesota Senate GOP to block most policing overhaul plans
Minnesota State Troopers surrounded the statue of Christopher Columbus after it was toppled in front of the Minnesota State Capitol, Wednesday, June 10, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, Warren Limmer, laid out their agenda shortly before the Legislature convened for a special session. That would effectively force the state House to adjourn too, but Gazelka said lawmakers would continue to work on bigger changes. Democratic House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler said the Senate Republican plan falls short of what the moment requires. The special session was already in the works before protests erupted in Minneapolis and spread around the world over Floyd's death in police custody.
Historical figures reassessed around globe after Floyd death
People stand around the fallen Christopher Columbus statue at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, June 10, 2020. In Bristol, England, demonstrators over the weekend toppled a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston and threw it in the harbor. On Wednesday night, protesters pulled down a century-old statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who has proposed dismantling all Confederate statues in the city, asked protesters not to take matters into their own hands for their own safety. Andrew Cuomo, who is Italian American, said he opposes removal of a statue of Columbus in Manhattans Columbus Circle.
Historical figures under attack after George Floyd's death
The statues on the Confederate monument are covered in graffiti and beheaded after a protest in Portsmouth, Va., Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Protesters beheaded and then pulled down four statues that were part of a Confederate monument. The spokesman for the Virginia division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, B. Frank Earnest, condemned the toppling of public works of art and likened losing the Confederate statues to losing a family member. For protesters mobilized by Floyds death, the targets have ranged far beyond the Confederacy. Andrew Cuomo, who is Italian American, said he opposes removal of a statue of Columbus in Manhattans Columbus Circle.
Richmond protesters topple Columbus statue, throw it in lake
RICHMOND, Va. A statue of Christopher Columbus in Richmond was torn down by protesters, set on fire and then thrown into a lake. The figure was toppled less than two hours after protesters gathered in the city's Byrd Park were chanting for the statue to be taken down, news outlets reported. The Columbus statue was dedicated in Richmond in December 1927, and had been the first statue of Christopher Columbus erected in the South, the newspaper reported. Native American advocates have also long pressed states to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day over concerns that Columbus spurred centuries of genocide against indigenous populations in the Americas. Vanessa Bolin, a member of the Richmond Indigenous Society, told the crowd she did not come to hijack the protests against police brutality, but to stand in solidarity with the people.