Protests continue over whether city should remove the Christopher Columbus statue
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Waterbury, CT (WFSB) — A small rally is taking place outside of Waterbury City Hall to protect the Christopher Columbus statue.
On the other side, more than 1,500 people are calling for the city to remove the statue.
The rally was supposed to take place at noon to remove the statue, but it may have been moved because of counter protesters.
The few people who attended the rally want to see the statue stay.
They say the Christopher Columbus statue represents Italian heritage and their contributions to the country. They also say they support Black Lives Matter, but they want to work together to come up with another solution.
One part of the petition calls for thee statue to be put into a museum.
“To us it’s being shamed. You gotta hide our statue. That’s shaming us and what we did. This man is over 600-year-old,” said Mario Fusco.
Petitioners looking to remove the statue are also calling for the city to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day. They want to have an open forum with city leaders about the holiday.
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