Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the statues were temporarily removed.
After weeks of protests, the Chicago mayor decided to temporarily remove two statues of Christopher Columbus until further notice.
During the early hours of Friday morning, the statues of Columbus in Grant and Arrigo parks were hoisted from their pedestals after the city consulted with “various stakeholders,” according to a statement released by Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office.
This action “occurs in response to protests that have become unsafe for both protesters and the police, as well as efforts by individuals to independently tear down the Grant Park statue in an extremely dangerous manner,” the office said. from the mayor.
The protests began around the world after the death of George Floyd on May 25, who was captured on cell phone video and went viral online. The protesters, mostly led by Black Lives Matter activists, continued their case to end police brutality against people of color and pushed for the call to remove statues of controversial historical figures like Columbus.
Columbus has been revered for centuries for discovering North America, despite the mistreatment and murder of Native Americans.
“In the coming days, Mayor Lightfoot and the City will announce a formal process to evaluate each of the monuments, memorials, and murals in Chicago communities, and develop a framework to create public dialogue to determine how we elevate the history of our city and diversity, “according to the mayor’s statement.
Lightfoot said all Chicago statues and murals will be up for debate, not just Columbus.
However, some Italian-American residents in Chicago say the temporary removal of the Columbus statues is a form of treason.
“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,” Pasquale Gianni, of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian-Americans, told ABC News. WSL affiliate.
Sergio Giangrande, president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, told the station that his community is “very wounded.”
“Columbus is a symbol of hope that we have all celebrated for years. Perhaps we all forget why we celebrate Christopher Columbus, and to take someone who is a symbol of hope for us, we do not agree with that,” said Giangrande.
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