A Hispanic group in Monmouth County is calling for the removal of a Christopher Columbus statue in Long Branch.

The Organization for Culture of Hispanic Origins says that the statue located on Broadway near City Hall does not represent the community in which it sits.

“I believe it’s an eyesore. It’s a constant reminder of the terror the indigenous people, my forefathers, had to suffer” says OCHO president Walter Alomar.

Controversy surrounding Columbus Day has been a topic of discussion for many years. Many believe that Columbus mistreated Native Americans when he first came to North America and says that he should not be celebrated.

“You wouldn’t see a statue of Hitler in Borough Park or Crown Heights in Brooklyn where it’s a predominantly Jewish area,” Alomar says. “So why in this area here do we have a statue of our first American terrorist?”

Alomar's organization says that Columbus does not reflect his predominantly Hispanic and African-American neighborhood in Long Branch.

“This was an Italian neighborhood back in the 60s, but when they moved they forgot to take the statue,” he says.

But the chairman of the Long Branch Columbus Day Parade says that he does not agree with Alomar’s assessment.

“It's not a symbol of slavery… [Columbus] was a discoverer. He came here and he discovered something,” says Joseph Mercadante.

Mercadante once served as the president of the Amerigo Vespucci Society in addition to being the parade chairman. He says that the Amerigo Vespucci Society gifted the Columbus statue to Long Branch 56 years ago. 

He says that the statue has become an integral part of the town.

Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider says that he is willing to meet with and listen to both sides on the issue, but doesn't see the statue moving anytime soon.

Long Branch’s Columbus Day Parade will be held Sunday at 1 p.m.