Christopher Columbus statue in grant park ps part of the removal of statues that represent a country built on lies.
On Friday, The Grant Park statue started to come down at around 3:15 a.m. After that, it didn’t take long to remove it completely.
A video clip shows a crane that was stationed near the statue for hours by Columbus and Roosevelt, before it was carefully removed. It was loaded onto a truck and taken to an unknown location.
Prior to the dismantling the statue was guarded by police officials. The second Christopher Columbus statue was taken down from the Arrigo Park in Little Italy was also taken down.
None of the statues were destroyed but only dismantled from the location and taken to another unknown location.
Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot spoke out about the dismantling. “The Christopher Columbus statues in Grant Park and Arrigo Park were temporarily removed by City and Park District crews under advisement from statue erectors and restoration professionals. Both statues were relocated to a storage facility in Chicago. As previously stated, the statues were relocated in response to demonstrations that became unsafe for both protesters and police, as well as efforts by individuals to independently pull the Grant Park statue down in an extremely dangerous manner.
“To ensure a safe process for residents to express their support or concerns over any of Chicago’s monuments, memorials, and murals, the City will be announcing a formal framework to assess statues in partnership with our local communities.”
Lori Lightfoot’s office also spoke out on the removal of the statue saying, “As the Mayor has stated previously, this is not about a single statue or mural, but how we create a platform to channel our city’s dynamic civic energy to collaboratively, purposefully and peacefully reflect our values as Chicagoans and uplift the stories of all of our diverse city’s residents, particularly when it comes to the permanent memorialization of our shared heritage,” the statement continued.
The debate over the statues representation in America is yet under debate for Chicagoans.
Some Italian leaders are shocked by the removal. While others think it is fair and a great forward to unveiling the truths and bringing healing to America.
“We were conversing back and forth with her chief of staff and her, and we decided it was best for the safety of the city, the police officers that were like, OK, it’s going to be temporarily. We’re fine with it,” said 38th Ward Alderman Nicholas Sposato.
“It’s a good move; it’s a good look for the city. It seems as if we are making progress. It seems as if we are getting to the place where there can be some healing,” Ephraim Martin said.
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