A statue of Christopher Columbus in Newark's Washington Park was taken down overnight.
In a statement, Mayor Ras Baraka says “In keeping with the movement to remove symbols of oppression and white supremacy, we have decided to remove the statue of Christopher Columbus from Washington Park."
The mayor said that crews took it down in a safe manner to avoid the potential danger of people toppling it themselves.
Baraka also added, “The removal of this statue should not be perceived as an insult to the Italian-American community. It is a statement against the barbarism, enslavement, and oppression that this explorer represents.”
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The mayor also said the statue will be kept in storage until the city decides what to do with it.