WATCH: Long Island Resident Protests Removal Of Roosevelt Statue

BABYLON, NY —Ray Fasano is an attorney from Babylon Village who recently launched a campaign to save the statue of Teddy Roosevelt at the Museum of Natural History. Fasano protested outside the museum, generating buzz around his cause, and now has a Facebook group of over 2,000 people from around the world who say they want democratic representation on the issue of statues being removed. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, statues deemed offensive have been taken down around the country, and a longstanding controversy over the Roosevelt statute was renewed.

The Museum of Natural History announced on June 21 that the statue, created in 1939, will be moved and issued the following statement: "Our museum community has been profoundly moved by the ever-widening movement for racial justice that has emerged after the killing of George Floyd. We also have watched as the attention of the world and the country has increasingly turned to statues and monuments as powerful and hurtful symbols of systemic racism."

Fasano, and his group, called Don't Tread on History, argue that decisions to remove statues are not being made within a democratic process and Fasano believes often don't represent the views of the majority.

"It's mob rule over democratic process and rational thought," Fasano told Patch, citing how the New York City committee to evaluate offensive statues started by Mayor De Blasio in 2017 didn't hold public hearings or forums.

Although critics of the statue believe the depiction of Roosevelt on horseback flanked by a Native American and a black man symbolizes white supremacy and colonialism, Fasano says the sculptor James Earle Fraser meant to honor African and Indigenous cultures.

Removing the statue, Fasano believes, "will tarnish Roosevelt's reputation forever."

Now that the statue's fate is sealed, Fasano and his group may turn their advocacy to other controversial statue debates, including the Robert Moses statue in Babylon Village.

"There isn't a lot we can do besides call our representatives," and make our voices heard, he said.

What do you think about the decision to remove the Teddy Roosevelt statue from the Museum of Natural History?