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Could Columbus Come Down From His Pedestal At Bradley Park?

The Peoria Park District board of trustees could begin the process of exploring the potential removal of the Christopher Columbus statue from Laura Bradley Park at its next meeting.

Resident Terri Brink asked the board Wednesday to take down the Columbus statue, which was erected in the Uplands neighborhood on the West Bluff in 1902. She cited "a lot of atrocities" committed by Columbus and objected to honoring him with a statue. Several members of the public concurred via Facebook Live comments at the virtual meeting.

Statues venerating the 15th century explorer have become part of a larger debate around monuments to figures associated with slavery and racial oppression. Protestershave toppled or defaced Columbus statues in Boston, Richmond, Va., and other communities in recent days.

Any process to remove the statue would be subject to a lengthy bureaucratic process, said park district director Emily Cahill on Friday. While the park district has protocols for adding memorials or statues to parks, there's no established procedure for removing a monument.

She said the a majority of the board would need to decide at its June 24 meeting to ask the park district's planning commission to evaluate the issue. She said if the board decides to proceed, there could be a report back by late July or early August.

"Our bureaucracy and our policies make some of these things go slower, but that's also the mechanism that makes sure we're transparent and we're gathering information from all perspectives to make good decisions," Cahill said.

Public forums would also be held, though those are difficult to coordinate with the current COVID-19 restrictions limiting meeting sizes, Cahill said. Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan could begin on June 26, allowing for a larger gathering.

But the board could also choose to defer any action or discussion on the statue for now. The park district is also facing a $2 million budget deficit this year which will be addressed at the June 24 meeting.

"I don't think this issue is as urgent as the budget crisis that we're facing right now. And given the nature of the issue, and already the interest we've gotten from members of the community, I don't think it'd be a bad idea to just table this until we're able to meet in person and have a proper forum," said board member Joseph Cassidy.

Uplands Residential Association president J.R. Hinchee asked the park board not to make a decision Wednesday night, citing the need for community input.

"It would be a shame for us to discard this piece of our history—it’s a major iconic feature of our historic neighborhood and has been for over a century. It’s also a work of art that beautifies the intersection of Parkside and Columbia Terrace as well as Bradley Park. Public art is something that adds value to our neighborhood," Hinchee said. "We know and understand that controversy surrounds the man and what he symbolizes. Our neighborhood is somewhat divided on whether or not the statue should be removed. We would appreciate time to consider options and the merits of what could or should be done."

The statue was a gift from the Briggs Real Estate Company of Toledo, Ohio, which designed the Uplands neighborhood. It originally stood at the intersection of Columbia Terrace and Institute, but was relocated to its current spot on Parkside Drive in 1947 after it was deemed a "traffic hazard" at its first location.

In the interim, board president Robert Johnson asked park district Police Chief Todd Green to keep an extra eye on the statue to prevent any vandalism. The statue was spray-painted in 2017 with the words "This guy sucks. Don't idolize genocides."

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The plaque for the Christopher Columbus statue in Laura Bradley Park.
Tim Shelley / Peoria Public Radio /
The plaque for the Christopher Columbus statue in Laura Bradley Park.

Tim Shelley is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.