Has The City Council Gone Mad? Meeting Today Discusses Removal Of George Washington Statue
Amidst severe budget cuts brought about by a migrant crisis that has placed immense strain on New York City’s public resources, the city council is contemplating a series of measures, including the removal of statues of prominent historical figures such as George Washington and the establishment of a reparations task force.
These initiatives are detailed in the New York City council’s agenda for September 19, 2023. The council’s Cultural Affairs Committee is scheduled to conduct a public hearing regarding a proposal to eliminate artworks on city property that “depict individuals who owned enslaved individuals, directly profited from slavery, or were involved in systemic offenses against indigenous populations or other crimes against humanity.”
This criteria would potentially apply to figures like America’s first president, George Washington, Dutch governor and New York settler Peter Stuyvesant, and Christopher Columbus, all of whom have statues situated throughout the city.
If the Public Design Commission (PDC) decides against removing a piece of artwork, it would be mandated to incorporate an “explanatory plaque” alongside the artwork. The proposal also requires the PDC to collaborate with the Department of Education to install plaques on sidewalks or other public areas adjacent to schools named after individuals meeting the specified criteria.
Another item on the agenda is a proposal to form a task force aimed at “assessing the repercussions of slavery and past injustices on African Americans in New York City and exploring potential reparations for these injustices.”
Additional proposals involve implementing anti-racism training for human services contractors and city employees, as well as the requirement to place an informational sign near the intersection of Wall and Pearl Streets “to commemorate the location of New York’s inaugural slave market.”
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