WEATHER ALERT
Trinidad and Tobago reckons with colonialism in a debate on statues, signs and monuments of its past
Read full article: Trinidad and Tobago reckons with colonialism in a debate on statues, signs and monuments of its pastThe twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago is debating whether it should remove statues, signs and monuments with colonial ties and how those spaces should be used instead.
Columbus statue, removed from a square in Providence, Rhode Island, re-emerges in nearby town
Read full article: Columbus statue, removed from a square in Providence, Rhode Island, re-emerges in nearby townThree years after a Christopher Columbus statue was removed from a square in Providence, Rhode Island, the bronze cast has re-emerged, this time in a park in Johnston, Rhode Island, about 9 miles west of the capital.
Bronny James has a congenital heart defect that caused his cardiac arrest, a spokesperson says
Read full article: Bronny James has a congenital heart defect that caused his cardiac arrest, a spokesperson saysBronny James went into cardiac arrest during a basketball workout at the University of Southern California last month because of a congenital heart defect.
Spain's national day salutes Columbus with little opposition
Read full article: Spain's national day salutes Columbus with little oppositionSpain has once again marked its national day with pomp, pageantry and a military parade that overshadowed protests against what some see as a misguided celebration of Spanish colonial history.
Trump's Columbus Day proclamation includes stark warnings
Read full article: Trump's Columbus Day proclamation includes stark warningsWASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s proclamation Friday commemorating Columbus Day veered from a typical White House holiday announcement, with stark warnings of “radical activists” seeking to tarnish the explorer’s legacy. Native American advocates have pressed states for years to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day over concerns that Christopher Columbus helped launch centuries of genocide against indigenous populations in the Americas. “Sadly, in recent years, radical activists have sought to undermine Christopher Columbus’s legacy,” Trump said in his proclamation declaring Monday Columbus Day. Trump frequently cites the commission at his campaign rallies, and he did so again in his proclamation Friday. Trump has also ordered federal agencies to end diversity training programs.
Christopher Columbus statue removed from Chicago park
Read full article: Christopher Columbus statue removed from Chicago parkCHICAGO A statue of Christopher Columbus in downtown Chicagos Grant Park was taken down early Friday, a week after protesters trying to topple the monument to the Italian explorer clashed with police. Crews used a large crane to remove the statue from its pedestal as a small crowd gathered to watch. Plans to remove the statue were first reported Thursday night by the Chicago Tribune and the removal followed hours of vocal confrontations between opponents and supporters of the statue. Protesters across the county have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, saying that he is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas. The Columbus statue in Chicago's Grant Park and another in the citys Little Italy neighborhood were vandalized last month, and statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in other U.S. cities.
Columbus statue toppled by Baltimore protesters
Read full article: Columbus statue toppled by Baltimore protestersBALTIMORE – Baltimore protesters pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the city's Inner Harbor on Saturday night. Protesters mobilized by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, Confederate figures and others. They say the Italian explorer is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas. According to The Baltimore Sun, the statue was owned by the city and dedicated in 1984 by former Mayor William Donald Schaefer and President Ronald Reagan. Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami; Richmond, Virginia; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Boston, where one was decapitated.
AP Interview: Barcelona mayor wants Columbus statue debate
Read full article: AP Interview: Barcelona mayor wants Columbus statue debateA seagull flies past the statue of Christopher Columbus in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, July 2, 2020. Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau is one of the few public officials who say Spain must revisit its colonial legacy - though she is against timid calls to remove the citys monument to Christopher Columbus. Instead, she wants to encourage a public discussion about the Italian explorer whose landing in the Caribbean in 1492 gave birth to Spains overseas empire. There is an open debate and we think that is positive and necessary, Colau told The Associated Press in an interview on Thursday. Nor have the other statues to Columbus who many Spaniards consider a discoverer and not a colonizer become sources of contention now.
Historical statues that have come down: A list
Read full article: Historical statues that have come down: A listStatues that have stood for years -- and in some cases, decades -- have been top of mind all across the country as protests take place following the deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks.
Columbus as supremacist? Some with Italian roots reject him
Read full article: Columbus as supremacist? Some with Italian roots reject himBOSTON Generations of Italian Americans embraced Christopher Columbus with little thought to the dark side of his legacy. There has always been the feeling that Italian Americans all feel the same way about Columbus, said Heather Leavell, 46, of Bedford, one of the founders of the group Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples' Day. For some, however including Francis Mazzaglia of the group the Italian American Alliance the destruction leveled at the Columbus statue amounts to a hate crime against Italian Americans. Corrie Popp, a 46-year-old high school English teacher and Waltham resident, said many younger Italian Americans are ready to dump Columbus. Most Italian Americans are big-hearted people, said Popp, whose mother is of Italian descent.
The Latest: Man shot during protest over New Mexico statue
Read full article: The Latest: Man shot during protest over New Mexico statue(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)TOP OF THE HOUR:— Man shot as protesters in New Mexico try to tear down statue. — Seattle City Council votes unanimously to bar police from using tear gas and pepper spray. ___ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A man was shot Monday night as protesters in New Mexico’s largest city tried to tear down a bronze statue of a Spanish conquistador outside the Albuquerque Museum. Moments later a few gunshots could be heard down the street and people started yelling that someone had been shot. Gallegos said officers used tear gas and flash bangs to protect officers and detain those involved in the shooting.
Historical figures reassessed around globe after Floyd death
Read full article: Historical figures reassessed around globe after Floyd deathPeople stand around the fallen Christopher Columbus statue at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul, Minn., Wednesday, June 10, 2020. In Bristol, England, demonstrators over the weekend toppled a statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston and threw it in the harbor. On Wednesday night, protesters pulled down a century-old statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who has proposed dismantling all Confederate statues in the city, asked protesters not to take matters into their own hands for their own safety. Andrew Cuomo, who is Italian American, said he opposes removal of a statue of Columbus in Manhattans Columbus Circle.
Minnesota Senate GOP to block most policing overhaul plans
Read full article: Minnesota Senate GOP to block most policing overhaul plansMinnesota State Troopers surrounded the statue of Christopher Columbus after it was toppled in front of the Minnesota State Capitol, Wednesday, June 10, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, Warren Limmer, laid out their agenda shortly before the Legislature convened for a special session. Tim Walz and the House Democratic majority are backing a slate of proposals from the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus. Limmer said the five policing bills the Senate will pass before next Friday will include some of the noncontroversial Democratic proposals. But Democratic House Majority Ryan Winkler said the Senate Republican plan is too weak and falls short of what the moment requires.
7 arrested after statues vandalized in Miami
Read full article: 7 arrested after statues vandalized in MiamiMIAMI Seven people were arrested Wednesday after two statues were vandalized in downtown Miami during a protest. According to Miami police, a group of protesters were in the area of Biscayne Boulevard and Fourth Street Wednesday when authorities saw several people spray painting the statues. A total of seven of the protesters were arrested, police said. They were identified Thursday as Jason Lewis, 30, of Miami; Christian Diaz, 25, of Miami; Manuel Roman, 29, of Miami Beach; Edwin Guzman, 20, of Lake Worth; Al-aa Ali Massri, 18, of Miami Beach; Joseph Martinez II, 28, of Miami; and Stephon Lin, 20, of Fort Worth, Texas. Authorities said the peaceful protesters were not arrested.
Historical figures under attack after George Floyd's death
Read full article: Historical figures under attack after George Floyd's deathThe statues on the Confederate monument are covered in graffiti and beheaded after a protest in Portsmouth, Va., Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Protesters beheaded and then pulled down four statues that were part of a Confederate monument. The spokesman for the Virginia division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, B. Frank Earnest, condemned the toppling of public works of art and likened losing the Confederate statues to losing a family member. For protesters mobilized by Floyds death, the targets have ranged far beyond the Confederacy. Andrew Cuomo, who is Italian American, said he opposes removal of a statue of Columbus in Manhattans Columbus Circle.