China News Agency, Houston, July 24. In the early morning of the 24th, the Chicago city government ordered the removal of the statue of the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus in the downtown park. A week ago, anti-racist demonstrators clashed with the police over trying to bring down the statue of Columbus.
According to the Associated Press, the Chicago Mayor’s Office issued a statement that day that the Columbus statue was temporarily removed until further notice. This is to protect public safety and provide an inclusive and democratic safe dialogue space. The statement stated that the city will announce an assessment of the city’s monuments, murals, etc., and create a public dialog frame to ensure the city’s historical features and enhance the city’s diversity.
In the early morning of the 24th, government officials removed the statues of Columbus from the city’s Grant Park and Arigo Park from the pedestals. This move caused cheers from the crowd onlookers.
Since the African-American Freud murder case detonated the "Black People's Life is Life" (BLM) protest demonstrations, protests across the United States have continued to this day. Columbus statues in many cities have been torn down or destroyed, and protesters have called for the removal of Columbus. The statue, claiming that he was responsible for the genocide and exploitation of Native Americans.
According to the Chicago Tribune, protesters tried to dismantle the statue of Columbus in Grant Park during a march in Chicago last Friday. Afterwards, police and demonstrators clashed around the statue, causing chaos. The police beat the demonstrators with truncheons and arrested those who used fireworks, rocks and other objects to attack the police.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightford recently accused those violent demonstrators of falling into anarchy in Chicago. Lightfoot also expressed dissatisfaction with the police's violent enforcement actions.
According to CNN, US President Trump recently stated that he plans to send federal law enforcement officers to Chicago to respond to violent acts, and the Chicago city government and some activists are trying to prevent federal government intervention. (Finish)