Mayor Kenney declares Juneteenth a city holiday; supporters rally for transferred South Philly police captain
The city is placing a “boxing apparatus” around the Christopher Columbus statue in order to protect it during the “public process” to determine its fate.
Joanne Weiss, 69, who came out to support Captain Lou Campione, watches as workers prepare to box the Christopher Columbus statue in Marconi Plaza in Philadelphia, Pa. on June 16, 2020.
City officials are installing a “boxing apparatus” to preserve the statue of Christopher Columbus at Marconi Plaza after Mayor Jim Kenney said he would initiate “a public process” to determine the statue’s future.
Clashes between protesters and vigilantes who said they were “guarding” the statue of the explorer, who also directed the enslavement and killing of thousands of native people, have occurred at the South Philadelphia park in recent days.
Capt. Louis Campione, the commanding officer of the police district that covers the plaza, has been reassigned. A protest over his transfer took place Tuesday.
The towering Christopher Columbus monument on the Delaware River waterfront, designed by acclaimed architect Robert Venturi, is being considered for removal.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on policing that will establish a database that tracks police complaints and a system that offers departments a financial incentive to adopt best practices.