Chicago Cops, Demonstrators Clash At Columbus Statue As Protest Turns Violent

Columbus statue vandalized in Chicago
Photo credit WBBM Newsradio/Brandon Ison

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(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Protesters and police clashed Friday evening at the Columbus statue in Grant Park, with officers blocking an attempt to topple the now-controversial sculpture.

Social media pictures and videos show tense confrontations between police and the demonstrators, who reportedly had been marching earlier in honor of indigenous people. Chicago police reinforcements eventually secured the area around the statue. 

NBC Chicago, citing the Chicago Fire Department, reported several police officers and protesters were taken to hospitals for injuries. CBS Chicago reported several arrests.

According to social media videos and police, people threw fireworks, bottles and other items at officers who were standing in a circle around the statue. 

"As the group approached the Christopher Columbus statue, some members of the crowd turned on the police and used the protest to attack officers with fireworks, rocks, frozen bottles, and other objects," said a statement from Chicago Police. 

Several protesters and reporters were later assaulted by police officers as they yelled at people to leave the premise, according to social media reports. One 18-year-old activist from the group Good Kids Mad City was beaten up by officers and had her teeth knocked out. The incident was caught on video. 

.@chicagosmayor we now have the video of Miracle being sucker punched by CPD! They don’t keep us safe! While they’re attacking a 2020 CPS graduates downtown, children were being shot tonight! A pregnant Womxn was shot & a 14 & 15y/o! You need to #DefundCPD now! pic.twitter.com/gYT4CL5HJ9

— GoodKidsMadCity (@GKMC18) July 18, 2020

Photos of tonight's protest in Grant Park at the Columbus Statue (2/2) pic.twitter.com/owVD2H2nVH

— Colin Hinkle (@hinklecolin) July 18, 2020

Police said so far, 12 individuals have been arrested and 18 officers were injured. 

The attempt to pull down the statue of Columbus comes as demonstrators across the country have targeted monuments to historical figures now considered racist. The movement gained traction following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Police: At least a dozen arrests. Several officers hospitalized after being hit objects thrown at them.

— Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) July 18, 2020

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has signaled she’s not in favor of removing the city's Columbus statues, preferring instead to move forward while discussing American history in frank terms.

Elected officials Ald. Carlos Rosa, Byron Sigcho Lopez, Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson and State Rep. Delia Ramirez joined activists Saturday morning to condemn what they call “Mayor Lightfoot’s violent deployment of the Chicago Police Department” and the actions from the previous night, which was also the death of civil rights icon John Lewis.