NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio doesn’t have much to say about the end of Thomas Jefferson’s time in the City Council chambers, but ultimately wasn't concerned about any backlash it could bring.
The statue departed City Hall on Monday, with its next destination set to be the New-York Historical Society, where it’ll be presented in the lobby, and then later in the Library Reading Room.
While there has been push back against the decision from some, de Blasio isn’t worried of it setting any negative precedents.
“I don't think it sets a dangerous precedent at all. There was a full debate and, you know, the Council made this request. It's their chambers. I want to respect that,” said de Blasio.
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The city’s Public Design Commission voted to approve a long-term loan after the same group was also in unanimous agreement over moving the 188-year-old monument last month.
Several City Council members had long advocated for the Jefferson statue removal over his slave ownership and beliefs.
“Thomas Jefferson is a profoundly important figure in American history who was also profoundly contradictory. And anyone who owned slaves, there’s a fair critique to say the least,” said de Blasio. “But he also made immense contributions to this country and to some of the best values that permeate the world today."
The Upper West Side museum where it will now live said the statue will be presented with “appropriate historical context, including details of Thomas Jefferson’s complicated legacy.”
De Blasio, meanwhile, is looking forward.
“So, I just think we should look at these situations and then move on, because the issue was not to me the past or the statutes, it's where we're going,” he said. “And I think we can have a much better conversation about where we're going.”
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