The town council and Westerly Public Library, which owns the land where the Christopher Columbus statue stands, put off taking action until researchers could determine who the monument belongs to.
The library now says it owns the statue and wants to keep it, according to Councilor Suzanne Giorno, who said the library’s board of trustees voted on the monument’s fate at a meeting last week.
“I was very thrilled to hear that and very excited about that,” Giorno said during a meeting of the town council Monday night.
She added that a “tremendous amount” of people had reached out expressing support for the monument, including members of veterans groups, local churches, and a bocce club.
Town councilors followed the library’s decision by passing two resolutions on Monday, confirming the library’s ownership and saying they agreed with keeping the monument where it is.
Councilor Karen Cioffi voted in favor but said she didn’t see why the council should get involved.
“I just didn’t see that this was really necessary,” Cioffi said before the vote. “But, OK, I guess there’s been a lot of question as to who owns the statute.”
Activists have called for the statue to be taken down, saying it condones colonization and the killing of indigenous people. An online petition calling for the statue’s removal has gained more than 500 signatures.
Supporters of the monument, which was carved in Westerly by the Joseph Coduri Granite Company and dedicated in 1949, say it honors Italian-Americans and the town’s former quarry and monument-making industry.
The debate over the monument came amid a global conversation on the appropriateness of monuments honoring racist historical figures and colonizers.
Alex Nunes can be reached at anunes@thepublicsradio.org.
