Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D-Ill.) has ordered the removal of several statues of iconic explorer Christopher Columbus, after violent protests at the monuments have seen police attacked by Antifa and Black Lives Matter terrorists, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
Following the outbreaks of violence, Lightfoot ordered city workers to remove the Columbus statues located in Grant Park and Arrigo Park, with both memorials coming down early Friday morning, in the dead of night.
Lightfoot attempted to justify the city-sanctioned iconoclasm with a statement, claiming that the move was made “in response to demonstrations that became unsafe for both protesters and police…this step is an effort to protect public safety and to preserve a safe space for an inclusive and democratic public dialogue about our city’s symbols.”
Viral videos depicted a ring of Chicago police officers surrounding the Columbus statue at Grant Park, with a mob of rioters throwing various objects at them in an almost nonstop barrage, including glass bottles and fireworks, injuring nearly 50 officers in a single day. Although the statue was eventually covered by a massive tarp, Lightfoot eventually ordered the final removal of the statue, moving it to an unknown location.
Chicago has seen a significant increase in violence in recent months, with Lightfoot being one of the prime examples of a Democratic mayor in a big city who has largely allowed far-left rioters and domestic terrorists to wreak havoc on her city, due to largely sharing their politics.Last week, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr announced the expansion of the Department of Justice’s “Operation Legend,” to send over 200 federal officers from various agencies into Chicago to quell the violence. Despite an initial public condemnation of the president and his efforts, Lightfoot eventually caved to the president after a phone call and allowed him to deploy the federal forces to her city.