The frenzy to tear down all public art that could possibly be interpreted as glorifying white supremacy has already claimed a few innocent victims, including a “peace monument” dedicated to promoting racial healing following the Civil War and the Lincoln Memorial. Over the weekend the Confederate monument protest movement added another non-Confederate name to the list of targets: Christopher Columbus.
On Saturday, dozens of social justice protesters congregated in downtown Detroit and surrounded the bust of Christopher Columbus, which they demanded be removed from the public square. The protest was part of their call to purge “white supremacy” from the city and “reclaim” history.
“Reclaiming our history: A Detroit without white supremacy,” rally organizers from the BYP100 (Black Youth Project 100) announced on Facebook leading up to the event, which took place Saturday. The Detroit Free Press reports:
Dozens of demonstrators converged under a raised bust of Christopher Columbus in downtown Detroit on Saturday and demanded the monument come down as they protested against white supremacy and a list of perceived affronts to black Detroiters. ….
“A lot of these symbols of genocide and colonialism in America are no longer being tolerated,” said Adrian Polk, a member of the chapter, which is largely comprised of people ages 18 to 35. “These symbols need to come down.”
The Detroit Free Press notes that since the organizers of the event “were unaware of any Confederate monuments in the city,” they decided to focus on Columbus because they felt he was “tied to a white supremacy mind-set.”
In addition to the Columbus statue, the demonstrators called on the city to end the “gentrification” (attempts to improve of an area, which social justice activists portray as racist) of the down town, the city’s increased use of security cameras, and water shutoffs.
Also included in their denouncements were Detroit’s Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan and Quicken Loans founder and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert.
The peaceful demonstration reportedly remained orderly and did not devolve into vandalism, as many protests have across the country, including in Durham, North Carolina, where some of those who participated in the destruction of a Civil War monument ended up in jail.
Among the non-Confederate historical figures that have become targets of the monument movement are George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, both of whom President Trump named in his controversial press conference last Tuesday.
“I’ve condemned neo-Nazis. I’ve condemned very different groups,” said Trump. “But not all those people were neo-Nazis, believe me, not all of those people were white supremacists, by any stretch. Those people were also there because they wanted to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee. And you take a look at some of the groups and you see, and you’d know it if you were honest reporters which in many cases you’re not, but many of those people were there to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week, and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You really do have to ask yourself where does it stop.”