page_title: Statue of Christopher Columbus (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
section_title: 2020 removal
hierarchical_section_title: Statue of Christopher Columbus (Saint Paul, Minnesota) / History / 2020 removal
caption_attribution_description: English: Please attribute to Lorie Shaull if used elsewhere.
context_page_description: A bronze statue of Christopher Columbus was installed on the grounds of the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1931. The 10-foot statue was created by Italian American Carlo Brioschi.
  In June 2020 American Indian Movement activists toppled the statue as part of the series of protests following the killing of George Floyd.
context_section_description: In the weeks following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, protests spread to Saint Paul then to rest of the nation. The removal of monuments became a theme of the movement early on and by June 10, protesters in Richmond, Virginia had tore down their Columbus statue, set it on fire, and tossed it in a lake while protesters in Boston had severed the head of theirs.
  Members of the American Indian Movement, led by Mike Forcia of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, announced via social media their intentions to topple the statue on June 10.
  Governor Tim Walz addressed the plans during a news conference and Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington announced that the Minnesota State Patrol would meet with the protesters and seek an alternative resolution.
  State Patrol troopers and a Department of Public Safety tribal liaison met with organizers prior to the event, encouraging them to follow a legal process for removal and warning them that they could face charges for destruction of public property. Forcia countered that they had already waited far too long, having worked through official channels for years without success.
  Members of the American Indian Movement of Twin Cities joined residents, including Dakota and Ojibwe community members at the northeastern corner of the Capitol Mall. They looped a rope around the statue and pulled it off its granite pedestal. The group drummed, sang songs, and took photos with the fallen statue. No one was arrested at the event. State Patrol troopers watched from a distance and did not intervene. Troopers eventually formed a line to protect the statue before it was transported offsite.
caption: A demonstrator raises a fist next to the empty pedestal
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