Protestors celebrated the 4th of July on Saturday by tearing down the statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore, Maryland. Once the statue was down, the protestors tossed it into the Inner Harbor.
Protesters just took down the Christopher Columbus statue in Baltimore’s Little Italy. pic.twitter.com/ViPk5eKOtz
— Louis Krauss (@louiskraussnews) July 5, 2020
Baltimore just tore down the Columbus statue ??????????????? #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/uX5ty8oI3f
— spencer compton (@spencercompton) July 5, 2020
The move comes after lawmakers in the city have contemplated how to handle the statue. Baltimore City Councilman Ryan Dorsey introduced legislation last week that would rededicate the monument. He wanted to rename the monument the "Police Violence Victims Monument."
Today I'm introducing a bill to rename the country's oldest Columbus monument - a monument to propaganda and revisionist history that holds up villains as a heroes - to instead be recognized as the Police Violence Victims Monument.
— Ryan Dorsey (@ElectRyanDorsey) June 22, 2020
City Council Bill 20-0549 pic.twitter.com/LzWfgMmKLY
Members of the Maryland House of Delegates and Senate, however, wanted to see the statues and monuments preserved and protected.
"We are calling for the mayor to protect all the statues across the city, but especially the ones that are under current threat,” Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore) said.
“We cannot allow these statues to be simply destroyed because that’s what the threat was,” Del. Nino Mangione (R-Baltimore County) said.
"We have 24-hour security starting tomorrow morning. Unarmed guards, two will be here,” Sen. John Pica )D-Baltimore City) said.
It looks like protestors made the decision for them.