Columbus statue toppled by Baltimore protesters
Source: AP
BALTIMORE (AP) Baltimore protesters pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the citys Inner Harbor on Saturday night.
Demonstrators used ropes to topple the monument near the Little Italy neighborhood, news outlets reported.
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.
FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 9, 1984, file photo, President Ronald Reagan addresses a ceremony in Baltimore, to unveil a statue of Christopher Columbus. Baltimore protesters pulled down the statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the city's Inner Harbor, Saturday, July 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Lana Harris, File)
Read more: https://apnews.com/f4a689a39daf6a1b8b7e4f503d26c2aa
dalton99a
(81,708 posts)Polybius
(15,533 posts)Not the right way to do things.
It could be a navigation hazard depending on where in the harbor and it's orientation.
Oh....wait....that wasn't your concern, was it.
Polybius
(15,533 posts)I know my view might not be popular here because it's Columbus, but I'm not a fan of breaking the law.
IronLionZion
(45,667 posts)to erase our history and break the law. They also destroyed property by dumping someone else's tea into Boston harbor like criminals. Polluters! Littering!
Polybius
(15,533 posts)I'm fine with statues being toppled by people only if a regime change is happening, like with what they did in Iraq to Saddam statues.
IronLionZion
(45,667 posts)in a way that erases the GOP's political influence for at least a generation.
Polybius
(15,533 posts)Plus he's opposed to toppling statues.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142527715
CBHagman
(16,994 posts)In the end, this works against progress, and not only because suddenly the subject is toppling the statue and not the larger issues. We want elected leaders and changed policies, and things like this actually work against those goals.
rockfordfile
(8,709 posts)They should have set the statue atop a raft and pushed it towards Cadiz.
niyad
(113,963 posts)though this is just a new account... I have in fact been on DU since 2003 or so
RelativelyJones
(898 posts)totodeinhere
(13,059 posts)fashion might be justified. But not this way. This looks like mob rule and it only plays into Trump's hands. I can envision a Trump campaign commercial depicting unruly mobs tearing down statutes. What better way to get his base all riled up and determined to vote?
I would rather wait until Joe takes office and then we can have a reasoned and orderly national conversation about this issue. And while we are at it we could remove Columbus Day as a national holiday and replace it with June 19. But we have to win the election first and demonstrators tearing down statutes is not the way to win the election.
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)I live in Arizona which is making national news as a coronavirus hotspot. I couldn't give a shit about statues but more concerned about the lives lost to police brutality & coronavirus.
Playing into Trump's hands only works if he doesn't blow it which he always does. He could have found a George Washington statue somewhere and made his point. Instead he picks a site that is sacred to Native Americans.
He is also constantly playing to his base which is a very narrow group of voters.
totodeinhere
(13,059 posts)help him with his base. But off course he has committed criminal negligence with his approach to the covid-19 crisis. I feel for you Arizonans. And now even in my rural community in Northern Nevada we too are seeing a spike in cases. A few weeks ago it looked like the crisis had passed us by but not now.
CBHagman
(16,994 posts)And they are already making those ads.
demosincebirth
(12,554 posts)JonLP24
(29,322 posts)Wiki
Choat also argues that although proponents of the horseshoe theory may cite examples of alleged history of collusion between fascists and communists, those on the far-left usually oppose the rise of far-right or fascist regimes in their countries. Instead, he argues that it has been centrists who have supported far-right and fascist regimes that they prefer in power over socialist ones.[16]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_theory
An example is antifa doxxing neo-Nazis. If anyone is scared of Trump they need to look at the poll numbers. Even CNN is criticizing Trump for caring more about symbols than American lives. Even CNN is further to the left of DU on this issue.
demosincebirth
(12,554 posts)totodeinhere
(13,059 posts)Polybius
(15,533 posts)Last edited Mon Jul 6, 2020, 01:13 AM - Edit history (1)
The far-left aren't Saints either. I was for the left in the primaries but now I'm glad Biden won. The extremists are making me nauseous.
oldsoftie
(12,674 posts)BlueIdaho
(13,582 posts)Im sorry but - this looks like mob rule because it is mob rule. I understand the deeply help passions and real rage that leads to these actions but any changes need to be arrived at democratically and through consensus.
Now - if this or any other government uses its considerable power to stop the very process that leads to change it should be removed. By any means necessary.