Columbus Day Switch Up In Philly Violated City Charter: Court

PHILADELPHIA — Former Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney violated the city's charter with an executive action that replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, a court has ruled.

The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations., Philadelphia City Councilmember Mark F. Squilla, The 1492 Society, Jody Della Barba, and Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania Sons and Daughters of Italy filed a suit against the city after Kenney in early 2021 signed an executive order that changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.

The order reads, in part, "Columbus enslaved indigenous people, and punished individuals who failed to meet his expected service through violence and, in some cases, murder."

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a seven-judge panel in the Commonwealth Court of Appeals ruled Kenney engaged in "lawmaking" that only the City Council can do, per the charter, by eliminating a holiday and making a new one.

Attorney George Bochetto, who represented the plaintiffs, said Kenney's decision was tyrant-like, while Squilla said Indigenous Day should still be celebrated for the Native American people, according to Fox 29.

City officials are reportedly reviewing the ruling.

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