BRIDGEPORT (AP) — Bridgeport has become the latest Connecticut city to remove a statue of Christopher Columbus.

The city issued a statement saying the statue was removed Monday from Seaside Park and placed in storage “out of an abundance of caution for preservation of the historic artifact, the need to respond to modern-day sensitivities, as well as public safety at large.”

“We recognize, value, celebrate and support all cultures and ethnicities in our city and we need continue to do so with respect and understanding,” Mayor Joe Ganim said.

Protesters against racial injustice have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, Confederate figures and others in the weeks since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. They say the Italian explorer was responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.

Over the past month, Columbus statues have been removed in Hartford, New Haven, New London, Norwalk and Middletown. Last week, someone broke the head off the Columbus statue in front of Waterbury’s city hall.