- A violent confrontation occurred in Chicago on Friday between protesters trying to tear down a statue of Christopher Columbus and the police who responded to protect the statue.
- Social media posts and news reports indicate that protesters threw cans and fireworks at the police, while officers were seen hitting protesters with batons and their hands. Police say at least 12 people were arrested.
- Activists and local officials have condemned the actions of the police and have asked the mayor of the city to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus.
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Chicago local authorities are speaking after protesters’ attempt to tear down a Christopher Columbus statue on Friday night ended in a violent clash with police.
Police say at least 12 people were arrested and 18 officers were injured as a result of the altercation. The protesters reportedly threw cans and fireworks at the officers defending the statue, and the police responded by attacking the protesters with batons and pepper spray.
A large group of protesters, at least 1,000, according to local reports, gathered Friday in downtown Chicago for a rally and march in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and calls to remove the police. The march ended in Chicago’s Grant Park, where the group surrounded the statue of Columbus and tried unsuccessfully to knock it down.
The photos and videos posted on social media of the march show injured protesters and officers threatening journalists at the scene. Local news outlet Block Club Chicago reported that an 18-year-old activist had her teeth cut after a police officer beat her.
In a statement early Saturday morning, the Chicago Police Department said the protesters “turned on the police and used the protest to attack officers with fireworks, rocks, frozen bottles and other objects.” Police also said the arrested individuals could face felony charges, but Black Lives Matter Chicago said on Twitter Saturday morning that all of the arrested protesters had been released.
Local elected officials immediately condemned the police response on Twitter, and several released a statement on Friday night to “unequivocally condemn [Chicago] Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision “to send the police to the protest.
Lightfoot responded on Saturday afternoon on Twitter, saying it “unequivocally supports[s]”peaceful protests, but they described reports of violence by protesters and police as” unacceptable. “
At a press conference Saturday morning, officials and activists asked Lightfoot to remove the statue of Columbus. Lightfoot has already spoken out against tearing down any of the Columbus monuments in Chicago.
Statues of Christopher Columbus and other historical figures have fallen across the country in recent weeks amid Black Lives Matter protests, leading to increasing demands for action and responsibility regarding the treatment of people of color. Although Columbus has been considered the person who “discovered” America, historians also attribute to the explorer the exploitation and genocide of the indigenous people who live there.
