City Hall Removes Christopher Columbus Statue In South Chicago

CHICAGO — The city's last Christopher Columbus statue got pulled from its pedestal in South Chicago on Friday, city officials said.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the monument to the controversial explorer temporarily removed from the corner of 92nd Street and Exchange Avenue due to "public safety concerns" over planned demonstrations like the one in Grant Park earlier this month that turned into a violent melee between protestors and police.

"This temporary relocation is part of an effort to prevent individuals from pulling down statues in an extremely dangerous manner, which has created unsafe situations for protestors and police, as well as residents of the surrounding community," according to a statement from the mayor's office.

Last week, Lightfoot ordered Columbus statues removed from Grant Park and Arrigo Park. Crews took down those statues around 2:30 a.m. on July 23.

The mayor has said she plans to a launch a "comprehensive review of our public icons to identify which should change, and where we need new monuments and icons to be erected to ensure the full, robust history of our city is told."

On Friday, a City Hall statement said details of that public conversation will include a process that allows community residents to express support and concerns about all monuments, memorials and murals.