From George Washington to Ulysses S. Grant: Statues, monuments vandalized extend beyond Confederates amid Black Lives Matter protests
https://www.foxnews.com/us/statue-monument-vandalized-torn-down-protestHistoric monuments and statues have become the targets of anger and vandalism during Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd's police custody death at the end of May.
The initial statues under fire were Confederate soldiers and generals largely in the South due to the treatment of African-Americans, but the anger has spread to monuments of all backgrounds -- including former U.S. presidents -- many of which have been torn down, and some have been officially removed.
The targets of rage have gone beyond the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the statue of Gen. Casimir Pulaski on the National Mall in Washington around Juneteenth on Friday, the day marking the end of slavery in the United States.
Casimir Pulaski fought for American Independence.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the prominent statue of Theodore Roosevelt in front of the American Museum of Natural History, will be removed after years of objections that it symbolizes colonial expansion and racial discrimination.
“The American Museum of Natural History has asked to remove the Theodore Roosevelt statue because it explicitly depicts Black and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior,” de Blasio announced Sunday in a written statement about the statue erected in 1940 that depicts Roosevelt on horseback with a Native American man and an African man standing next to the horse. “It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue.”
Trump tweeted Monday: "Ridiculous, don't do it."
Even President Theodore Roosevelt statue was torn down. He was a progressive.
Matthias Baldwin
In the first days of Floyd protests, the statue of Philadelphia abolitionist Matthias Baldwin was defaced with messages of "colonizer" and "murderer," The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Baldwin, an industrialist, was an outspoken critic against slavery during the early 1800s, arguing for the right of African-Americans to vote and founding a school in the city for black children, and before the Civil War, Southern railroads refused to purchase his engines.
The Baldwin statue was erected in 1906 and placed outside City Hall in 1936.
Even abolitionist, Matthias Baldwin was targeted. He is called a "colonizer" and "murderer". Do they have proof? Whiskey Tango Alpha Foxtrot??????????????
Memorials honoring African-Americans
In Boston, the Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial, which honors African-American soldiers who fought in the Civil War, was one of 16 public artworks damaged when thousands of protesters swarmed Boston Common May 31, according to public radio station WBUR-FM.
“This monument is considered one of the nation's greatest pieces of public art and the greatest piece to come out of the Civil War,” Friends of the Public Garden executive director Liz Vizza told the station. “It was, amazingly enough, dedicated 123 years ago on May 31st – the day it was defaced.”
In Duluth, Minn., one of the city's most treasured memorials, the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, was vandalized with anti-police graffiti during protests that weekend. The memorial commemorates three black men wrongly lynched years ago after being accused of raping a woman, Fox 21 Duluth reported.
“I was hurt. I was hurt that we have to see that,” Stephan Witherspoon, co-chair of the Memorial board and president of the local NAACP, told the station.
Blacks are not safe. They target a memorial honoring Blacks who fought in the Civl War. The Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial is even targeted. It honored Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie, who were lynched in Duluth. This is total madness! Whiskey Tango Alpha Foxtrot??????????????
Armenian genocide memorial
In Denver, Colorado, a sculpture remembering the victims of the Armenian genocide was vandalized with anti-cop graffiti.
“Since the Khachkar commemorates the victims of all crimes against humanity, including slavery and state-sponsored racism, it is ironic that individuals who claim to seek justice have vandalized the very monument that honors the victims of injustice,” Armenians of Colorado said in a statement.
Even Armenian genocide memorial was targeted. The Armenians were killed in a genocide from 1914 to 1923 by Three Pashas. This is a memorial to people who were killed by genocide. Whiskey Tango Alpha Foxtrot??????????????
Soldiers & Sailors monument
In Cleveland, the Soldiers & Sailors monument in the city’s downtown was vandalized with graffiti when a protest turned into a riot May 30.
Vandals also stole the monument’s American flag, according to WOIO-TV.
Whiskey Tango Alpha Foxtrot??????????????
World War I memorial
In Birmingham, Ala., a 97-year-old memorial honoring those who lost their lives in World War I was defaced and damaged amid a protest in the public park where it was located after protesters failed to take out their wrath on the park’s Confederate monument, according to WVTM-TV.
Protesters tried to tear it down but were unable to, the station reported. City officials then removed both monuments but plan to return only the World War I monument to the park after undergoing repairs.
This is beyond the pale!
