Richmond VA - Columbus statue torn down and thrown in Byrd Park lake

[underpants]

Link to tweet

?s=21

Protesters stand in solidarity with indigenous peoples at Byrd Park where Columbus statue is torn down, thrown in lake

About a thousand protestors gathered Tuesday evening in Byrd Park around the city’s monument to Christopher Columbus to stand in solidarity with indigenous peoples.

Protests across the country have prompted national reckoning with the historical injustices perpetuated against African Americans. At Tuesday’s protest, activist and founder of Marijuana Justice Chelsea Higgs-Wise reminded attendees that, amid these discussions, “We have to start where it all began – we have to start with the people who stood first on this land.”

A few protestors stood at the base of the paint-spattered Columbus monument. “This land is Powhatan land,” read one protestor’s sign. Another: “Columbus represents genocide.”

After about seven speakers, the crowd began to march down Arthur Ashe Boulevard, chanting “take it down.” Less than two hours later, they did just that.

https://www.richmond.com/news/local/protesters-stand-in-solidarity-with-indigenous-peoples-at-byrd-park-where-columbus-statue-is-torn/article_8a009c9c-1c5d-5e2a-a3bf-0b015a8a2277.html

[Miguelito Loveless]

1. "I don't know how he got there, officer...

...he must have slipped and fell.”

[underpants]

2. I've seen something like that on Twitter

I added a news story from the local paper

[Miguelito Loveless]

8. I hope General Lee

is careful in his evening walks.

[Hekate]

3. Takng a cue from the folks in Bristol, UK: "He slipped and fell" into the bay

[underpants]

4. Closed

[Miguelito Loveless]

9. *Snort*

[rogue emissary]

18. LOL

[ellie]

5. Good.

Fuck that guy.

[RockRaven]

6. I'm not saying that people should vandalize or destroy property,

BUT this is a way to moot all of the back-and-forth about taking down Confederate statues... And flips the conversation to whether or not to put up a Confederate statue. That's a very different argument, in a way which happens to benefit a no-such-statue outcome.

[dalton99a]

7. Most excellent.

[JoeOtterbein]

10. Looks much better...

...drowned!

[Ex Lurker]

11. The Andrew Jackson statue in New Orleans

Should be next.

[Goodheart]

13. Hold on now. As a New Orleanian I'm going to have to

AGREE!

Although, honestly, it's a tougher call than all these Confederates. Yes, Jackson was a cruel bastard.... horrible to native and black Americans. And actually killed a man.

But he WAS the hero of the Battle of New Orleans that saved our young nation.

[Goodheart]

12. I've walked around that lake in Byrd Park at least 100 times

and I can't recall a Christopher Columbus statue there. Guess I didn't give a shit. LOL


edited: Oh, wait... now I remember. It wasn't actually on or around the lake, but nearby where Arthur Ashe Blvd. ends. Tell you what.... somebody had to hike the thing about 200 yards to give him a swim.

[underpants]

14. Yeah it was at the end of Arthur Ashe Boulevard

Sort of over looking the tennis courts he wasn’t allowed to play on.

[Goodheart]

15. I guess A.P. Hill is still standing?

I'm not sorry the Confederates and Columbus are coming down, but Richmond is such a lovely city I hate to see it defaced.

[underpants]

16. As far as I know.

[Dennis Donovan]

17. That Columbus got lucky. The Boston Columbus was beheaded

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boston-christopher-columbus-statue-beheaded-richmond-statue-thrown-lake-n1229201

In Boston, the head of a Christopher Columbus statue in the city's North End was lobbed off at some point before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, when police received a call, NBC Boston reported. The police later recovered the head.

That head was also removed in 2006, and in 2015 the statue was splattered in red paint and spray-painted with the words "Black Lives Matter."