Ex-Philadelphia Mayor’s Statue Removed After Protests

The city of Philadelphia had a major milestone happen on Wednesday morning. Frank Rizzo’s, former mayor of Philadelphia, statue has been removed after Mayor James Kenney said it represented “bigotry, hatred, and oppression”. According to People, the statue located across from City Hall was graffitied and vandalized during protests over the past weekend.

Mayor James Kenney tweeted that “The statue represented bigotry, hatred, and oppression for too many people, for too long. It is finally gone.” Kenney then shared a picture of the before and after removal of the statue.

Rizzo was a police commissioner in the late 1960s and then served as mayor from 1972-1980. People described Rizzo as “champion of conservatives who aggressively policed black people and gay people” and his leadership style was labeled as “dictorial”. Recent protests in Philadelphia left the statue covered in paint and attempted to burn the statue down.

“The statue is a deplorable monument to racism, bigotry, and police brutality for members of the Black community, the LGBTQ community, and many others." Mayor Kenny said. "The treatment of these communities under Mr. Rizzo’s leadership was among the worst periods in Philadelphia’s history. The battle for equal rights and justice is still being fought decades later, and our city is still working to erase that legacy.”