The Christopher Columbus statue that once stood in downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Park has now been removed.
Indigenous groups have protested for years the celebration of the Italian sailor’s past, which they consider the start of a mass genocide that ended their way of life.
LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis, the person behind the move commented saying “The statue of Christopher Columbus rewrites a stained chapter of history that romanticizes expansions of European empires and exploitations of natural resources and of human beings.”
Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell said more than 100 residents watched the removal.
https://twitter.com/MitchOFarrell/status/1061357289066586112
The statue’s removal follows the LA City Council and County Board of Supervisors’ vote last year to cancel the October Christopher Columbus holiday and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day.
