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To some he’s a symbol of Italian American history, to others one of colonial oppression.
No matter how you slice it, Christopher Columbus is a controversial figure worldwide. Now, San Francisco has taken down a statue of him on Telegraph Hill.
Indigenous woman Amy Anderson and her family climbed up onto the pedestal where the statue once stood to celebrate.
"With each settler colonial statue that comes down, especially of those men who have contributed to the genocide of the indigenous peoples of these lands, it’s about time," Anderson said.
Mayor London Breed directed the city to remove it early Thursday.
"We’re okay with it (coming down), but I think what’s really going to get the ire of the Italians is what they replace it with," Italian American Social Club President Dave Barsi explained.
He’d like to see something that celebrates the Italian community.
"Christopher Columbus is a deeply-polarizing figure in our history and a symbol of pain and oppression to so many people, especially indigenous community members," Ordeñana said. "There were also concerns for public safety because a flier was being circulated calling for citizens to remove the two-ton statue themselves on Friday."
The statue has been placed in storage and community consultation is planned on the future of the site.
Sixteen-year-old Italian American Luciano Peschiera does not see Columbus as a hero.
"There’s a history there," Peschiera said. "It’s not a good history, but it reflects on us and we can look back on it in the future because If we tear down history we’re gonna end up recreating it’s somehow."