Columbus statue removed from a Connecticut city in 2020 finally finds a home at a new museum
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A Christopher Columbus statue removed in 2020 amid a climate of racial reckoning after the police killing of George Floyd has finally found a home in a new museum dedicated to preserving the history of New Haven, Connecticut.
Mayor Justin Elicker and other officials on Friday announced an 'art loan agreement' has been reached with the Lost in New Haven Museum, which plans to display the 1892 monument to the 15th century explorer as part of its wide-ranging collection.
'It is a privilege to be entrusted with the stewardship of New Haven's Christopher Columbus Memorial, an important artifact in the city's history,' said Robert Greenberg, the museum's founder. He said the museum is dedicated to celebrating the immigrants who built the New Haven while recognizing the city was developed on unceded land of the indigenous Quinnipiac people.
'We are committed to presenting this history in its entirety,' he said in a statement.
The New Haven Parks Commission decided to take down the statue after it was vandalized multiple times. Many residents demanded its removal, but the decision to do so was controversial.
Those who wanted the statue gone condemned the 15th-century Italian explorer as a white supremacist who touched off centuries of European oppression and the decimation of Indigenous peoples. Columbus supporters, meanwhile, called the statue an important symbol of Italian-American heritage. It was located for generations in Wooster Square, which is surrounded by an historically Italian neighborhood.
Demonstrators from both sides briefly skirmished with each other when the statue was taken down.
An Italian-American group in 2022
sued unsuccessfully
to force the statue to be moved back. There was also some discussion about locating the memorial in the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven but nothing materialized.
Robert Bonanno, president of the Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Committee, said he was pleased the statue will now be located in the museum.
'I grew up in Wooster Square, and the Columbus Memorial is an important part our community's history,' he said in a statement 'I am very happy that the statue will be going to the Lost in New Haven museum and that it will be displayed so that people will be able to continue to see it in an appropriate setting.'
Last year, the
city dedicated
a
new monument to immigrants
to replace the Columbus statue.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
French police detain dozens after football celebrations
French authorities detained 79 people in the second such wave of arrests during celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain's football Champions League win, a police chief said Monday. The PSG thrashed Inter Milan by a record 5-0 in Saturday evening's final in Munich, flying back to Paris on Sunday for a triumphal parade along the Champs Elysees, then celebrations in a packed Parc des Princes stadium on the edge of the French capital. The PSG winning the biggest prize in European club football for the first time sparked delirious festivities in France, but was marred by violence. On Sunday, "we saw a resurgence of individuals driven by malicious intent who were not really PSG supporters," Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told RTL radio. "We arrested 79 people, some of them in the night," he said, adding that order had been restored before dawn. Some were detained over taking barriers and briefly blocking the ring road around Paris, while others had tried to vandalise businesses or fired fireworks on the Champs Elysees, he said. On Saturday night, police had made more than 500 arrests across France, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths. In the southwest town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest. A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris also died after being hit by a vehicle. A policeman was in an induced coma after being injured by a firework. Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysee palace on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called "unacceptable" violence during the festivities. Many of the stars of the team, one of the youngest in the competition, are drawn from the huge football talent pool in the Paris suburbs after PSG's Qatari owners turned their back on the policy of signing star players like Neymar and Lionel Messi. A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match. mca/ah/yad
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
European industry hit hard by Trump tariffs, Salzgitter CEO warns
DUESSELDORF/FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Salzgitter, Germany's second-biggest steelmaker, on Monday warned that Washington's tariff policy was dealing a severe blow to European industry, after the U.S. administration unveiled plans to double steel import levies to 50%. "The erratic tariff policy of the USA is hitting Europe's economy hard - especially Germany," Salzgitter CEO Gunnar Groebler said in a written statement. Shares in Salzgitter fell along with larger European peers Thyssenkrupp and ArcelorMittal, all down between 0.5 and 2.1%. Groebler said that apart from the direct tariffs on exports to the United States, there was also increased import pressure on the EU market as a result of rising volumes of cheaper Asian steel in Europe. According to Germany's steel association, the United States accounted for around a fifth, or 4 million tonnes, of European steel exports outside of the EU, making it the most important export market. "An increase in steel import duties in the USA to 50% should prompt the EU Commission to accelerate its efforts to implement the measures under the Steel and Metals Action Plan," Groebler said.
Hamilton Spectator
23 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Ukraine and Russia meet in Turkey for peace talks with few hopes for a breakthrough
ISTANBUL (AP) — Delegations from Russia and Ukraine gathered in Turkey on Monday for their second round of direct peace talks in just over two weeks, although expectations were low for any significant progress on ending the three-year war. The Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was in Istanbul for the meeting, Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, said in a message posted on the Ukrainian Embassy WhatsApp group. The Russian delegation headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, arrived Sunday evening, Russian state media reported. Turkish officials said the meeting would start at 1 p.m. local time, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan presiding over the talks and officials from the Turkish intelligence agency also present. However, Ukrainian spokesperson Tykhyi said the start would be at midday local time. It was not immediately possible to clarify the discrepancy. Recent comments by senior officials in both countries indicate they remain far apart on the key conditions for stopping the war. Fierce fighting has in the meantime continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, and both sides have hit each other's territory with deep strikes. On Sunday, a Ukrainian drone attack destroyed more than 40 Russian planes deep inside Russia, Ukraine's Security Service said, while Moscow pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones. Russian air defenses downed 162 Ukrainian drones over eight Russian regions overnight, as well as over the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, Russia's Defense Ministry said Monday. Ukrainian air defenses damaged 52 out of 80 drones launched by Russia overnight, the Ukrainian air force said. Two ballistic missiles struck a residential neighborhood in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Monday morning, including one that hit near a school, the city's mayor said. One missile landed near an apartment building, while the second struck a road near the school, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a statement and published a photo of a wide crater. 'Standing next to the crater, you realize how different it all could have been,' Terekhov wrote. 'A few more meters — and it would have hit the building. A few more minutes — and cars, buses would have been on the road.' No casualties were reported. ___ Associated Press writers Suzan Frazer in Ankara, Turkey, and Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
