Vandals Replace Columbus Statue with Toilet in Baltimore
Leaders from Baltimore’s Italian-American community are outraged after vandals damaged a public restroom at the location where a statue of Christopher Columbus once stood. This statue was thrown into the Inner Harbor by protesters back in 2020.
Last week, someone walking by reported seeing a toilet bowl placed on a pedestal that had held the statue. Apparently, a local man shared the news on Facebook, expressing his disbelief about the “inappropriate” display.
In a post, the Little Italy Neighborhood Association thanked residents for alerting them about the situation. They mentioned that city conservation employees removed the toilet shortly thereafter.
The Columbus statue was originally installed in 1984 during the tenure of then-Mayor William Donald Schaefer and President Ronald Reagan. It was toppled by Black Lives Matter protesters in July 2020, part of a broader wave of vandalism affecting various monuments that Independence Day weekend.
After being retrieved from the harbor and restored, the statue was eventually reinstalled on the White House grounds by President Trump in March. However, its original spot remained vacant until this recent incident.
Maryland State Representative Nino Mangione expressed his disgust, stating, “We are appalled by the disrespectful actions of lawless thugs who once again desecrate a statue of Columbus.” He noted that there is currently no police investigation into the incident and criticized city officials for not addressing what he called blatant racism.
“Their continued tolerance of this type of behavior is intolerable and is now on display for the entire community to see,” Mangione added.
The destruction of monuments has been a recurring issue, with Columbus being among several historical figures targeted during protests in 2020. Recently, a separate 12-foot-tall granite statue of Columbus was beheaded in Waterbury, Connecticut, while a sculpture in Portland, Oregon, was set ablaze outside the Justice Center.
