by Michael Mistroff
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The City Council approved a bill Monday night to rename the Columbus obelisk in Northeast Baltimore to memorialize victims of police brutality.
The bill was first introduced in August by Councilman Ryan Dorsey, after protesters toppled a Columbus statue in the downtown area after the death of George Floyd. The Columbus monument in the Heinz Park section of Herring Run Park in Arcadia would be renamed the “Victims of Police Violence Monument.”
The council’s action was met with pushback from both council members as well as the Baltimore City Police Department.
“Having the proposed monument be in such close proximity to a police memorial, honoring officers who have died in the line of duty, diminishes the sacrifices made by those officers and does a disservice to them and their families,” Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said in a statement released earlier Monday. “Both memorials are important and should be places of reflection and remembrance for loved ones, and those that visit should be able to do so in a setting without disruption or divisiveness.”
Dorsey argued that the nature of the response from the police department suggested an “us and them mentality.”
“It’s an opposition that we can’t hold both in our hearts at the same time,” Dorsey said. “I struggle to understand how the presence of one would be prohibitive of me caring and remembering the other.”
Dorsey added that proponents of the bill — which include those who have survived police violence and their families — have not said the monument’s proximity to the police memorial is an issue for them.
“Now is not the time for an ‘us versus them’ approach to who we pay tribute to,” Dorsey said.
Although Councilman Leon F. Pinkett III said he supported memorializing those who have fallen victim to the police, he voted against the bill, arguing that the Columbus monument itself should first be destroyed so that a new monument can be constructed to properly memorialize victims of police brutality.
“My issue is that we’re using a monument that was committed to an individual that performed atrocities against vulnerable people,” Pinkett said. “Even though we are now repurposing it, if those atrocities were real, we should destroy that monument and build something new to the victims of police violence. Give them something that is truly theirs.”
The council voted 10-4 to approve the legislation, which must undergo a second vote and win the mayor’s approval too before going into effect.
Christopher Columbus, a 15th century Italian who once was celebrated for “discovering America,” has come under fire recently for exploiting and enslaving native Americans when he arrived in North America.
11 Comments
What a joke. What will this do to help the citizens of Baltimore that are living in crime-ridden neighborhoods and a huge murder rate with no end in sight, beating last year’s record rate. People are fleeing in droves.
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/census-early-count-shows-loss-of-around-9000-citizens-in-baltimore/31942490#
Having a memorial to victims of “police brutality” only serves to reinforce a false narrative. According to the FBI, in 2019, 49 law enforcement officers in this country died as a result of felonious acts. Thirteen unarmed black men were shot by police. In 2020, hundreds of police officers have been injured by rioters, and none of the rioters has died at the hands of the police (and very few have even been injured). Considering that there are millions of interactions between police and the public every year, the VERY small number of people killed by police dispels and disproves the narrative of rampant police brutality. To even consider having a monument for “victims of police brutality” (most of whom were not exactly model citizens) so close to a police memorial honoring true heroes is DESPICABLE, and shows utter disregard and contempt for the value of these fallen heroes’ lives.
Italian American’s adore our their heroes as much as any one else. Recently Christopher Columbus, Columbus day has fallen under attack again by the cancel culture and it is very offensive to Italian Americans!
Are we to erase Emperor Julius Caesar Emperor Constantine Emperor Hadrian and the list goes on and on! How about Leonardo da Vinci he was not only just a great artist but was a fantastic weapons engineer and designer of his time! He has blood ? all over his hands !
It’s important to remember that in 1492 the institutions of slavery was practiced throughout Europe , Asia & Africa basically throughout the known world ! Slavery was not limited only to those Africans sold into slavery by more powerful tribes of the day but also included Asians, Caucasian & those of the Middle Eastern decent as well! As a Student of History it is important to acknowledge these truths and defend the fact that Christopher Columbus was not the only person in the 15th century who spoke of or condone and or promoted the use of slavery! As an Italian American , we take great offense that after all of the great accomplishments of Christopher Columbus that his memory is under attack & the institution of slavery is being solely hung around his neck when in fact the institution of slavery in his day was practiced through out the known world!
The city is attempting to erase history by tearing down Christopher Columbus monuments and statues And replacing it for a
Monument in recognition of indigenous peoples is absurd!
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas , they too practice slavery throughout many of the tribes of North America ,Central America and South America .
Slavery too was an institution that was practiced much farther back than the Spanish empire.
When making comparisons to the Italian Explorer Christopher Columbus‘s arrival While sailing for Spain !
Amerigo Vespucci another great Italian hero who later named the new found world America and South America.
I literally could go on for hours on the subject but our community reviewers probably would not understand or have the time to prove me wrong! LOL
Again bottom line it’s not right to tear down & erase history !
Build new monuments ,new statues in remembrance of or to memorialize other causes , peoples and places . This can be accomplished without the destruction of the existing monuments statues and memorials but with the construction of the new !
Again since the beginning of time many Empires Throughout the known world I have participated and profited through the institution of slavery! You can’t erase History no more then you can punish any one person country or empires of the world throughout time for its existence!
Tearing down Christopher Columbus statues and memorials is just another example of cancel culture! To go around and I erase the history of slavery would take a nuclear weapons on six of the seven continents and then what do you have left nothing! Build more new monuments more statuary build more museums build more universities , but the cancel culture and erasing history is the purest sense of ignorance!
https://www.history.com/news/viking-slavery-raids-evidence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Rome
http://slaveryandremembrance.org/articles/article/?id=A0097
https://www.history.com/news/columbus-day-controversy
I love our Viking Brothers but keep in mind ask any of the North Yorkshire UK folks or Yokic to be exact how they feel about the Viking slave trade ! No Statues For You ! Then again I don’t see any Minnesota Viking statuses being vandalized!
This link discusses slavery by ,for & from indigenous Americans peoples: So the City of Baltimore plans on a vote to teardown Columbus monuments & statues to rebuild rededicate a new monument and or statues for indigenous peoples? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_among_the_indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas
The City of Baltimore along with the cancel culture must Leave our history alone ! Build new destroy none!