New London Removes Christopher Columbus Statue

NEW LONDON, CT — After a petition garnered more than 6,000 signatures, the city's Christopher Columbus statue was removed over the weekend, NBC CT reported. The council will decide the statue's fate at its meeting Tuesday.

The statue was already vandalized with red spray paint.

The Change.org petition on the statue's removal reads: "In downtown New London CT there is a statue of Christopher Columbus. It has been there for many years, but it is time for it to be taken down... Our city is one of the most diverse in Connecticut with many different races and ethnicities living side by side. This statue is showing them that we condone this racist man. We should not have a statue of this man in our town, he represents nothing positive for us. Instead, we should have a statue of the African captives that led the revolt on La Amistad in 1839..."

A Christopher Columbus statue was also removed in Middletown recently, The Middletown Press reported.

The controversy regarding Christopher Columbus statues isn't just limited to Connecticut. Boston's Columbus statue was recently beheaded. A Columbus statue in Virginia was toppled over as well.

While previously hailed as a navigator and discoverer, Columbus's legacy has come under attack. His critics say that he was responsible for the genocide of native peoples.

See related: Petition To Remove Columbus Statue In New London Gains Steam