By ZACHARY EVANS |
A statue of Thomas Jefferson was removed from New York City Hall on Monday, after Democratic city lawmakers pushed for the removal due to Jefferson’s slave ownership.
The city’s Public Design Commission, which is comprised of appointees of Mayor Bill de Blasio, voted last week to move the statue to the New York Historical Society on a long-term loan. The commission’s executive director, Keri Butler, initially attempted to block press from viewing the removal but was overruled by city council members and members of the mayor’s office, the New York Post reported.
The New York City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus called for the vote last week.
“Each day [the statue] is allowed to linger there serves as a reminder to our members of the horrors perpetrated against Blacks and Indigenous Peoples by revered figures – like Jefferson – who were instrumental in America’s creation, but also known practitioners of slavery that espoused white supremacist belief,” the caucus said in a statement.
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