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Poll: Majority of Brooklynites in favor of leaving Columbus statues standing

October 11, 2017 By Scott Enman Brooklyn Daily Eagle
A daylong poll hosted by the Brooklyn Eagle on Monday invited readers to answer the question: “Should NYC's Christopher Columbus statues be removed?" Eagle file photo by Scott Enman
A statue of Christopher Columbus in Downtown Brooklyn. Eagle file photo by Scott Enman
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A daylong poll hosted by the Brooklyn Eagle on Columbus Day revealed overwhelming support for leaving the Christopher Columbus statues across the city intact.

After 24 hours, 365 people took part in the vote, which posed the question on Twitter, “Should NYC’s Christopher Columbus statues be removed?”

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Ninety percent of participants selected “No, keep them standing” and 10 percent chose “Yes, remove the statues.”

Following the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered a 90-day review of every statue and monument on city property that may incite racism, anti-Semitism or bigotry.

Since then, de Blasio has been working to create a task force that will evaluate each memorial and to establish criteria for the erection of future statues.

Columbus discovered the Americas after he was hired by Spain in 1492 to sail west. While he was an ambitious pioneer, Columbus was also known for his violent tactics used to colonize and oppress Native Americans.

Monday’s poll elicited a discussion between readers on both the Twitter and Facebook Eagle pages with numerous readers posting in the comments section.

One person suggested moving the statues to a museum.

Another wrote, “Leave them up, put up others near them with historical context.”

A third person wrote, “After all this time why do some people want to take it down? That’s the question. The public square is not the most appropriate location. There are more suitable locations!”

A fourth reader said, “Always wondered what Columbus was doing in front of the [Downtown Brooklyn] courthouse, though… like he stood for justice or something?”

 


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