HOUSTON – A statue of Christopher Columbus in Houston was found vandalized Thursday morning.
The statue is located in Bell Park in the Museum District.
The face and hands of the statue were covered in red paint, and a sign that read “Rip the head from your oppressor” was taped on the front of it.
Marvin Peterson said he lives in the neighborhood was disappointed by the sight.
“I think it’s pure ignorance, it’s absolutely pure ignorance," Peterson said.
Some people said the statue should be removed.
"It’s kinda nice to see it defaced honestly because it needs to be removed,” said Lauren Rundall. “I feel like he’s the one that kinda sparked everything that is America now.”
“Maybe we need to think about who we glorify and what we glorify,” said Sara Brook. “I don’t believe in the destruction of public property, but I think maybe they belong some place else.”
One man said that we cannot ignore history.
“History is history," said Michael White. “He did good things. He did bad things, but I think remembering the whole context of the history would be a good thing at times.”
The seven-foot bronze statue was donated to the city in 1992 by the Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Greater Houston. It was meant to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of the Americas.
Red paint was also used to vandalize the statue in 2017.
BREAKING: Statue of Christopher Columbus in Bell Park vandalized, defaced with red paint. KPRC2 Cathy Hernandez is love at the park.
Posted by KPRC2 / Click2Houston on Thursday, June 11, 2020