Workers remove the Christopher Columbus statue from Chicago’s Grant Park during the early morning hours of Friday, July 24, 2020. (Armando L. Sanchez)
Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the controversial statue of Christopher Columbus removed from Chicago’s Grant Park overnight, in part to avoid another high-profile confrontation between police and protesters like the one that happened last week.
Not all Italian American leaders in Chicago are on board with the decision, but it has received the blessing of some groups, sources said. By taking the statue down, Lightfoot may draw criticism from those who believe she caved to activist demands.
The abrupt move in the dark of night was an about-face for Lightfoot, who has opposed taking down statues of the Italian explorer on the grounds that it would be erasing history.
It also drew comparisons from Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, to former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s midnight bulldozing of Meigs Field in March 2003.
Crews arrived at Grant Park sometime around 1:00 a.m. and began the process of bringing down the monument honoring Columbus a little afterward. A couple dozen people cheered from across the street and passing cars honked as the statue came down at about 3 a.m. Friday morning.
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