Christopher Columbus Statue Removed from Cooper River Park

All that's left of the statue of Christopher Columbus at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, is the concrete base where it once stood.

Crews removed the statue from the North Park Drive side of the park Tuesday night. It was moved to private location, according to 6abc.com, and will reportedly be replaced with a piece of artwork.

The Columbus monument in Pennsauken isn't the only one being taken down in New Jersey this week. The statue in the state's capitol, Trenton, which was vandalized a few weeks ago, will also be removed.

In a statement, Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora said, "The current national debate on racial justice has led to a long-overdue examination of how we honor our past, including our statues, monuments, and the names of our parks and schools."

Gusciora goes on to say, "what we know about Columbus simply makes his image a poor fit for a city that is as diverse as Trenton."

In case you were wondering what Christopher Columbus, who is celebrated nationally with his own day in October, did wrong, it's been argued that he's undeserving of such honors because of his injustices against Native Americans.

Also, like, didn't he discover the Canary Islands by accident? Not really the United States? Not like that matters if he had any involvement in the mistreatment of indigenous peoples.

SOURCES: 6abc.com; wikipedia.org

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