The statue is one numerous artifacts of America’s racist history that became a target of struggle in recent days
Police guard the controversial monument to Frank Rizzo. Source: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto/Getty Images/News Artnet
In a symbolic victory for protesters, the Philadelphia authorities removed the statue of Frank Rizzo, a former mayor and police chief known for his aggressive policing tactics, News Artnet reports.
The three-metre statue was erected in 1998 and has since become a target for activists and social justice reformers who regard it as a symbol of police brutality and racism. The statue has been vandalised many times. The most recent occasion was during Black Lives Matter protests on May 30-31, when the crowd set it on fire and tried to take it down.
On June 2, Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney ordered the city’s managing director to remove the statue immediately. Crowds cheered as it workers began to demolish it at 2am.
“This is the beginning of the healing process in our city,” Kenney told journalists, adding that the city has a long way to go. “That statue was representative of that era and had to go away in order for us to understand where we need to go going forward.”
Subscribe to our mailing list:The moment it came down. Under cover of darkness, the Frank Rizzo statue which, for many, symbolized the system of racism and police brutality they are protesting to reform was taken down and removed from the iconic Center City in Philadelphia #Philadelphia (vid @NBCPhiladelphia) pic.twitter.com/Be8zyD4joS
— Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) June 3, 2020