New London — It has stood for more than 90 years in New London, and some say the statue of Christopher Columbus has overstayed its welcome.

Online petitions calling for the statue’s removal are gaining momentum in conjunction with the local Black Lives Matter movement. The statue also has been spray-painted several times, to the dismay of public works employees, since the protest that took place over the weekend.

“Our city is one of the most diverse in Connecticut with many different races and ethnicities living side by side. This statue is showing them that we condone this racist man,” reads the message on the change.org petition started by New London resident Tessa Rock.

The petition, which calls for the statue to be replaced with one memorializing the African captives that led the revolt on La Amistad in 1839, had gained 5,539 signatures by Tuesday afternoon.

The New London-based youth activist group Hearing Youth Voices, which helped organize the weekend protest, also has a petition, "Prioritize New London Community Needs 2020," circulating with a list of demands from the city that includes the removal of the statue and the reallocation of 35% of the police budget to support New London residents “who are Black, Brown, and poor.” That petition had more than 4,300 signatures as of Tuesday.

Whether the goal is realistic or not may depend on the City Council, which has planned behind-the-scenes discussions about the issues, Council President Efrain Dominguez said. This week he said he wanted to talk with fellow councilors ahead of Monday’s scheduled meeting.

“This is not going to go away,” Dominguez said. “Something’s happening and we have to get involved, talk about it and listen.”

Dominguez said like others of his generation, he was taught about Columbus the great explorer, not Columbus the man now known to have killed and enslaved indigenous people upon his arrival in the Americas. The New London school district in 2016 replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.

Council President Pro Tempore Alma Nartatez on Monday said she was unaware of the petition but not surprised. She said the council would consider any “legal petition” brought before it. The statue was a gift from Italian Americans living in the city and, according to the plaque at its base, was given to the city in 1928. Nartatez said it was important to hear from residents who may have differing opinions about the statue.

“I don’t believe it was to honor someone responsible for genocide, however, history tells us otherwise,” Nartatez said.

Resident Christian Moore said he viewed the demand to remove the statue as a fundamental part of the movement to transform the community. “I don’t think it’s necessary to have a have statue of a genocidal maniac in a public place. It doesn’t make sense in a time when we’re trying to fix the problems of the present,” he said.

He said statues are important symbols, often meant to inspire. “What we’re saying is ‘no,’ this guy was a monster, a slave trader, a rapist, a genocidal maniac. I don’t want that to be venerated in a public space,” he said.

Moore said he thinks the removal would be a great win for the movement and help build momentum for further change.

Mayor Michael Passero said he’s been getting calls and emails about the statute. The discussion about the statue’s place in the city is worth having and something he said he welcomes. He said the Italian immigrants who erected the statue never meant to honor the historical figure that Columbus is now known as today. It was a source of pride for Italians. He said that is in contrast to the Confederate statues honoring people whose deeds were well known.

“Those immigrants did not understand Columbus in the historical perspective that we see Columbus today, that’s not what they were memorializing,” Passero said. He said he would look for community consensus on what to do next.

The petitions circulating online alone will not lead to removal of the statue but could help the City Council act. Passero said there is no mechanism in New London for a public petition except to challenge a measure passed by the council.

Passero said he looks forward to robust discussion about the issue but, in the meantime, is asking the public to “please stop vandalizing the statue.”

Police have said video is being reviewed and investigation of the vandalism remains active.  

g.smith@theday.com