Frederick Douglass statue vandalized in Rochester park

[Polybius]

Source: Associated Press

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass was ripped from its base in Rochester on the anniversary of one of his most famous speeches, delivered in that city in 1852.

Police said the statue of Douglass was taken on Sunday from Maplewood Park, a site along the Underground Railroad where Douglas and Harriet Tubman helped shuttle slaves to freedom.

The statue was found at the brink of the Genesee River gorge about 50 feet from its pedestal, police said. There was damage to the base and a finger.

In Rochester on July 5, 1852, Douglass gave the speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” in which he called the celebration of liberty a sham in a nation that enslaves and oppresses its Black citizens.

Read more: https://apnews.com/6e65d7d503caf114b6878a48288c190c

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[Dem2theMax]

2. This country is so beyond broken.

I will have been dead for a very long time before it's ever put back together.

[roamer65]

3. White supermacists.

[rockfordfile]

4. I agree. likely was trump supporters

[RussBLib]

14. well, if you're gonna mess up our statues

we will mess up yours!

And what would we expect from these stunted development white supremacists?

[oldsoftie]

5. Anyone surprised that type thing this would eventually happen?

Once you light the fuse, the whole box goes off.

[Igel]

6. Some of the statue-iconoclasts said

"pull them all down." I doubt they were thinking this.

Like "defund the police", apparently they didn't mean what they said.

[oldsoftie]

8. Maybe, but we've seen statues of abolitionists & freedom fighters pulled down.

And when any of it is allowed, more of it will happen.
They should either be dealt with by the elected officials, or add contextual monuments alongside the old ones. Explaining who the people are & what they did.

And I'm still wondering why Ralph Northam is Gov of VA? After the blackface travesty? Worse than a 100 yr old statue. Sen Franken got pushed out for WAY less.

[Igel]

19. If you can vandalize an elk....

Which really was just set up to memorialize elk ... Not the mostly white male "Elks" but the actual cud-chewing ungulates ...

Sure. Why not?

[oldsoftie]

20. Gotta admit I missed THAT one. Good lord. I'll have to go find the story!! nt

[DeminPennswoods]

13. Not surprised at all

Vandalizing statues is apparently a thing now.

Every moment spent debating statues is a moment lost to make real change happen.

[oldsoftie]

21. Yes. I warned that the focus of the movement was going to be hijacked.

Looks like it has. Now we rarely see george Floyd mentioned. And Eric Garner SHOULD have started this in earnest.

[McCamy Taylor]

7. WTF!

[SunSeeker]

9. Racists gonna be racist. nt

[Polybius]

10. I think we have to be consistent on these type of things

You can't support a statue getting toppled that conservatives love, while be mad that one that we love goes down. You either have to be furious that any get toppled or happy that they all do (as crazy as that choice sounds). I for one am irate that Douglas was toppled. However, I also condemned protesters taking down Columbus. I'm not a hypocrite.

[harumph]

11. That's a false equivalency

So, there's no qualitative difference in what the statues represent? They're all just statues right? Of course people
can support the removal of statues representing white dominance over enslaved people and at the same time denounce the toppling
of Frederick Douglass. I don't care whether racists are upset over their racist progenitors being toppled. Ultimately, this
is about power and who will control the cultural space - those who believe in equality under the law and those who don't. And no, that's not a false dilemma.

[Polybius]

16. The problem is retaliation

The right didn't seem to care much when Confederate statues were toppled. But by doing it to Columbus and former Presidents, it was bound to make them retaliate.

And just to add, not everyone is a racist who's opposed to the Founding Fathers or even Columbus coming down. Cuomo and Biden oppose toppling them.

Want to take them down? Legislate it.

[RussBLib]

15. bullshit

as if all things are created equally

as if all statues are the same?

what kind of thinking is that?

No thinking involved at all?

[Polybius]

17. Of course not

But taking matters into your own hands by toppling a statue is equally the same. You can't call one a hero and want the other to go to jail. The crime and penalty are equal.

Take offensive statues down through politicians, not anarchy.

[Steelrolled]

12. Bullshit politics strikes again.

Let's build the walls just a little higher. /s

[GulfCoast66]

18. I support removing confederate statues. By a legal means.

As is being done in Virginia. Generally.

But once you are ok with a mob pulling down statues Pandora’s box is open. Your mob vs theirs.

This does not help us.

[Polybius]

22. I said the same thing in different words above

You can't support mobs taking down one statue and cry when it happens to the other. I think what set the right-wing off was Andrew Jackson nearly coming down and Columbus going into the river last week.