The initial deadline for signing is Thursday June 18 at 2 PM. The letter with initial sign-ons will be sent to Mayor Walsh on Thursday afternoon. If your organization cannot sign on by the deadline but would like to afterward, please still sign.
***This is a letter for organizations to sign. If you are an individual representing yourself, please add your name to the over 11,000 people who have signed the online petition:
http://change.org/removecolumbus This number will be updated in the final letter. ***
June 16, 2020
Mayor Ben Walsh
Syracuse City Hall
233 E Washington St
Syracuse NY 13202-1473
Dear Mayor Walsh,
The past week has seen a surge in support for the removal of the Columbus Monument at Columbus Circle in downtown Syracuse, sparked in large-part by nationwide efforts to remove confederate, Columbus, and other statues as part of Black-led movements to combat police brutality and systemic anti-Blackness. The number of signatures on the petition for its removal is over 11,000, including an overwhelming majority of respondents from Syracuse and those who have ties to this place. There is also widespread support across the state and both nationally and globally. For these reasons, it is now time to consider next steps and the future of this statue.
We, the undersigned organizations, write in support of the letter sent to you on Monday, June 15th from the individuals who organized the petition. We too call for the removal of the Columbus Monument in Syracuse, joining our names to the organizations that already added their support to this letter, including the American Indian Law Alliance, Indigenous Values Initiative, Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation / Syracuse Peace Council, and multiple departments at Syracuse University. The significance of Christopher Columbus gazing westward and standing atop the horrifying iconography of decapitated caricatures of Indigenous peoples’ heads is an outright symbol of genocide, colonization, and European supremacy. This statue does not belong in the heart of Syracuse.
The referenced letter can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zJP-25bv5SBogzdMSaoFtaiUUa6NRTzf/view Sincerely,
[list of signers and orgs]
cc: Ryan McMahon, County Executive, Onondaga County
Beth Broadway, Director, InterFaith Works of Central New York
