A statue of Christopher Columbus sculpted by Estelle Hampton Frierson and Stavros Alexander Chrysostomides was ordered removed by former mayor Steven Benjamin. During the process the  statue was  damaged and dismembered. Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

In 1786, Columbia, South Carolina, became the first United States city to be named in honor of explorer Christopher Columbus, discoverer of America. Leaders in the state legislature at that time were trying to determine where the state capitol should be located and what its name should be. Legislator John Gervais suggested Columbia, a feminine version of the name Columbus, and, while some wanted the town to be called “Washington,” the name “Columbia” won by a vote of 11-7.

In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, statues of Christopher Columbus across the country have been vandalized in an anti-American effort to erase Columbus’s name from America and to vilify him. Red paint was strewn across some statues, hateful signs were attached to them about genocide, some were decapitated and one even had a hand cut off. While nothing related to the killing of George Floyd had any connection whatsoever to Christopher Columbus. Nonetheless, anti-Columbus Marxists increased resentment against Columbus among many protesters across America.

In the days following the George Floyd incident, protesters in Minnesota pulled down a statue of Columbus outside of the state capitol. Also in those days of riots, a statue in Richmond of Columbus was taken down by protesters and thrown into a lake in a city park. In addition, a statue of Columbus in Boston was beheaded and the statue was then ordered removed by city officials. Other cities where statues were removed just after the Floyd riots included Baltimore, Boston, Denver and Waterbury, Connecticut. A statue removed in Houston was splashed with paint and its hand was cut off.

By the end of 2020, four other cities planned on removing their Christopher Columbus statues. Newsweek reported that as many as 27 discussed removing Columbus statues in the months following George Floyd related riots, some included Chicago, New York City, and Columbus, Ohio. Media such as Newsweek framed the statue removals in neo-Communist terms saying the anti-Columbus campaign is a “part of the on-going national reckoning with America’s history and relationship with racism,” which further spurred on the unlawful actions. In addition, they stated that “all but one of the seven Columbus statues were toppled by protesters… (who were) tackling statues that symbolize racism and white supremacy.”

THE COLUMBIA, S.C. STATUE

In Columbia as in many other cities nationwide, there were protests—primarily instigated by communist led Black Lives Matter—which became increasingly violent after George Floyd’s death. These protests culminated in the destruction of an SUV in downtown Columbia by a rioting mob which pelted it with rocks and jumped on its top. In addition, an American flag was removed and three police cars were set on fire. Some downtown businesses were vandalized.

Former Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin. Photo courtesy WIS-TV via MSN.

Because of this spreading violence and some vandalism, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin decided to remove the Christopher Columbus statue located in the city. That statue had been erected in 1992 in as a gift of the Daughters of the American Revolution to commemorate the QuinCentenary (500th) Anniversary of Columbus’s voyage to America. It has been located since that time in River Front Park on the Congaree River near the Columbia Canal.

When removing the statue, Mayor Benjamin noted the vandalism—paint on statue—and said he feared the statue could be permanently damaged by angry protesters as others had been, so he opted to remove it to safety. The statue was ultimately damaged by the city removal process.

Benjamin quoted from a poem that he said John Gervais had read in making the decision to call the city “Columbia,” The Poem, by freed woman Phyllis Wheatley, states, “Fix’d are the eyes of nations on the scales/For in their hopes Columbia’s arm prevails.”

On June 12, the statue was removed with heavy equipment in an unceremonious manner. After the majority of the statue was removed, the statue’s feet remained atop the pedestal. Bristow Marchant with The State newspaper described the scene and also included a video which shows a large bulldozer ripping them off the pedestal and causing that piece to shatter upon falling to the ground. The statue was placed in an undisclosed storage location.

Mayor Benjamin stated that he invited citizens to have a discussion about where the statue will go permanently. He said it could go back where it was removed from or to other places. In the end, a decision was made to relocate it to the S. C. Museum of History. Benjamin is often quoted as saying “The statue will be stored until citizens, the Columbia City Council and other officials can have a comprehensive discussion about what to do next,” but did the former mayor get council approval to move the monument initially? And have, or when are, the citizens and the council going to “have a comprehensive discussion about what to do next”?

As of this reporting, officials of the S.C. Museum of History have stated that in an agreement with the city, the statue is to come to their location; however, they only state that once there, it will be stored for an indefinite amount of time. This reminds us of the old adage “out of sight, out of mind.”

IS COLUMBUS STATUE REMOVAL LEGAL?

In Philadelphia this year, after city officials had already made a decision to remove their statue of Christopher Columbus, a Common Pleas Judge Paul Patrick ruled that the city could NOT remove that statue. She concluded that the removal had no basis in legality.

In her ruling, Judge Patrick stated that the city could not remove its statue saying, “It is baffling to this court as to how the city of Philadelphia wants to remove the statue without any legal basis.”

Judge Patrick went on to say that “The City’s entire argument and case is devoid of any legal foundation” and she ruled against the statue’s planned removal entirely.

In the case of Columbia, South Carolina’s statue, the 2000 State Heritage Act has a clear statement that statues cannot be removed without a 2/3 majority vote in the South Carolina state legislature. This act was updated this past summer by the South Carolina Supreme Court to a simple majority vote of the state legislature; however, the statue was removed prior to the S. C. Supreme Court’s ruling. To date SC Attorney General Alan Wilson has proven to be ineffective in protecting South Carolina’s Heritage Act, which in turn could prove detrimental to SC’s historic monuments, statues and our state’s history—both good and bad.

Was it legal to have the Columbia statue of Christopher Columbus removed June 12, 2020? It would seem that if Judge Patrick were asked, he would say a simple “No.”

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS DAY CHANGED

A statue of Christopher Columbus stands in Philadelphia after Common Pleas Judge Paul Patrick ruled it must stay as it was “without any legal basis”. An outcry from the Italian community was heard.

In more than 130 cities and at least eight states, the official holiday declared by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt has been repealed. States no longer celebrating Columbus Day include North Carolina, Vermont, Alaska, South Dakota, Oregon, Minnesota, New Mexico and the District of Columbia. In place of the Columbus Day holiday, most have instituted an “Indigenous Peoples Day” to honor the native peoples of America from various locales.

While some believe that acts of Columbus and his men were heinous and demand the removal of the holiday, along with statues and commemorations of the explorer, others will take offense by these actions. These include 20 million Italian-Americans who have endured some share of discrimination in past years and for whom President Roosevelt felt in naming the Columbus Holiday that some measure of dignity was being restored.

Radical leftist and communist groups included in the push against Christopher Columbus are spread across many platforms in America including descendants of native peoples, immigrants from the lower Americas where Columbus made landfall, radical Black groups like Black Lives Matter backed by NFAC/New Black Panthers, and several native American political groups.

Lisa Carol Rudisill, M.T.S., is a magna cum laud graduate of NC State University and Liberty University where she earned a Master of Theology. She writes novels about her family history during the Civil War in North and South Carolina. She is a freelance writer, editorialist and a contributor to The Standard newspaper.

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