Local Voices

Group Sues Mayor Kenney, Officials Over Columbus Statue Removal Efforts

George Bochetto, the lead attorney for the group, said he sees the suit as holding government officials accountable.

(CBS News Philadelphia)

June 5, 2023

PHILADELPHIA -- A group that fought in court to keep a statue of Christopher Columbus in a South Philadelphia park and to have a wooden box covering it removed has now filed suit against Mayor Jim Kenney and members of the city's historical commission over their roles in the effort to remove the statue.

Find out what's happening in Philadelphiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Friends of Marconi Plaza allege in the complaint filed late last month that officials conspired to abuse the legal process in trying to remove the 146-year-old statue from Marconi Plaza after it became the scene of tense standoffs during demonstrations and unrest over racial injustice in the summer of 2020.

George Bochetto, the lead attorney for the group, said he sees the suit as holding government officials accountable.

Find out what's happening in Philadelphiafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

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