Pieces of Columbus statue retrieved from Baltimore’s Harbor

BALTIMORE – Pieces of a Christopher Columbus statue were retrieved from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on Monday, two days after protesters pulled down the figure and threw it into the barbor.

Tom Linton, vice-president of sales for Digging & Rigging, a company that provides crane and hauling services, confirmed to the AP that employees from the company assisted in the retrieval process.

Crews used a pulley and a dive team to recover pieces of the statue from the water Monday morning, a day after a group of people in the Little Italy neighbourhood launched an unsuccessful effort to retrieve the statue with a rope, WJZ-TV reported.

The figure was toppled in the neighbourhood Saturday by demonstrators who also used a rope to pull it down. After its toppling, Gov. Larry Hogan said in a news release the incident was “the antithesis of democracy” and something that “should be condemned by everyone regardless of their politics.”

Protesters across the county have called for the removal of statues of Columbus, saying the Italian explorer is responsible for the genocide and exploitation of native peoples in the Americas.

Statues of Columbus have also been toppled or vandalized in cities such as Miami; Richmond, Virginia; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Boston, where one was decapitated.

Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young has asked police to arrest anyone involved in the toppling of the statute, the news outlet reported.