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Last week the iconic 2 ton statue of Christopher Columbus by sculptor Vittorio Colbertaldo was
removed from the pedestal where it has stood in front of Coit Tower at
the top of Telegraph Hill in San Francisco.
photos by Styrous®
When I was a kid I was absolutely positive, no question at all, it was a statue of my hero, Superman (link below).
Over
the years the statue had been vandalized many times but in the week
previous to its removal it had been defaced, no pun intended, three times.
According to protestors, it was doused in red paint, symbolizing spilt blood, as an act of protest against the glorification of a man responsible for ushering in an era of exploitation and slaughter of Indigenous peoples by European colonizers.
There was a flyer circulating on social media that encouraged people to march to Coit Tower to take it down and throw it into the bay, so, the city decided to remove it for the public's safety. It is one of many statues around the country to be removed or destroyed due to racial issues (links below).
According to protestors, it was doused in red paint, symbolizing spilt blood, as an act of protest against the glorification of a man responsible for ushering in an era of exploitation and slaughter of Indigenous peoples by European colonizers.
The restoration cost about $70,000.
There was a flyer circulating on social media that encouraged people to march to Coit Tower to take it down and throw it into the bay, so, the city decided to remove it for the public's safety. It is one of many statues around the country to be removed or destroyed due to racial issues (links below).
Goodbye, Columbus!
Viewfinder link:
Net links:
SF Chronicle ~ San Francisco knocks Columbus off his pedestal
SF Examiner ~ Columbus statue removed from Coit Tower site
SF Examiner ~ Columbus statue removed from Coit Tower site
YouTube links:
Associated Press ~ Columbus statue vandalized in San Francisco
BBC News ~ Confederate and Columbus statues toppled by US protesters
BBC News ~ Confederate and Columbus statues toppled by US protesters
CBS News ~ Christopher Columbus statue vandalized in San Francisco
Euronews ~ SF Columbus statue vandalised on namesake US holiday
Euronews ~ SF Columbus statue vandalised on namesake US holiday
KPIX ~ Coit Tower Columbus Statue Defaced During Italian Heritage Parade
NY Times ~ Reconsidering the Past, One Statue at a Time
Misc. news links ~ Columbus around the country
NY Times ~ Reconsidering the Past, One Statue at a Time
Misc. news links ~ Columbus around the country
Styrous® ~ Saturday, June 27, 2020
