Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) asked Baltimore officials to “regain control of their own streets” after protesters downed a statue of Christopher Columbus in the city over the weekend.
“While we welcome peaceful protests and constructive dialogue on whether to put certain monuments in context or move them to museums or warehouses through a legal process, the illegality, vandalism, and destruction of public property are completely unacceptable,” Hogan said in a statement. on Sunday. .
“That is the antithesis of democracy and should be condemned by everyone, regardless of their politics. Baltimore city leaders need to regain control of their own streets and immediately start making them safer, “added Hogan.
Today I issued the following statement about events in Baltimore City. City leaders need to regain control of their own streets and immediately begin to make them safer. pic.twitter.com/lnCAxjKvAG
– Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) July 5, 2020
Protesters tore down the explorer statue near Baltimore’s Little Italy neighborhood, pushing it toward the city’s inner harbor.
Since protests over the death of George Floyd began in Minneapolis in late May, protesters have frequently attacked statues honoring Confederate leaders and other figures associated with racism, including former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, the former President Jackson and, in Belgium, former King Leopold II.
The statues of Columbus have been attacked frequently due to accounts in their diaries of atrocities against indigenous people on the island of Hispaniola. A statue of Columbus in Boston was beheaded, while protesters in Richmond, Virginia pushed another in Byrd Park in the city to a nearby lake.
President Trump
Donald John Trump protesters tear down the Christopher Columbus statue on Baltimore Independence Day star Bill Pullman, urging Americans to wear a “mask of freedom” on July 4. he has harmed or vandalished the statues at the center of his reelection message, invoking both a speech on Friday at Mount Rushmore and a speech on July 4 on Saturday in Washington, DC
Hogan had previously criticized Trump’s response to civil unrest during the Floyd protests, saying in May that the president who threatened White House protesters with “vicious dogs” and “sinister weapons” was “not helpful” and ” it didn’t lower the temperature. “
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