CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Some Italian-American leaders say they have documentation proving that city crews did not have the legal right to remove a statue of Christopher Columbus from Arrigo Park last summer.
Ron Onesti, president of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, said a contract from more than 50 years ago forbid alterations to the monument and plaza without the organization’s consent.
The Lightfoot administration had two Columbus statues removed — including another in Grant Park — because they became a flashpoint for racial-equity demonstrators.
Critics say Columbus represents the annihilation of indigenous people.
Onesti said his organization has sent a letter to the Chicago Park District asking them to retrieve the Columbus statue that had been in Arrigo Park and return it.
“We’re not looking for any financial gain here or remuneration,” he said Friday.
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