Abraham Lincoln Statue in Lincoln Park Vandalized

A statue of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln Park was vandalized Monday, with graffiti calling the former president a “colonizer.”

The vandalism occurred about 12:30 p.m., according to Chicago police. Red paint was poured over the statue and “Dethrone the Colonizers,” “Land Back!” and “Avenge the Dakota 38” were spray-painted at its base. No one is in custody.

In a statement, the anonymous group who claimed credit for the vandalism said they wanted to memorialize Indigenous Peoples Day by calling attention to the public execution of 38 Dakota men during the U.S.-Dakota war of 1862. Lincoln signed the order of execution. The anonymous group refers to itself as “resistors of colonial violence.”

Slips of paper with the names of the 38 men who were executed were attached to the base of the Lincoln statue.

The group sought “to tear down the myth of Lincoln as great liberator and expose his complicity in the genocide of Indigenous peoples and theft of their lands,” according to the statement.

“Lincoln chose to execute the Dakota 38 to cater to white settler communities’ demands for racist violence,” the statement said.

Joggers, dog walkers and people enjoying the park Monday afternoon stopped to take pictures of the statue. Some wondered who was responsible. A child asked her guardian, “Who did this?” and exclaimed, “That is so rude,” as they walked by.

The “Standing Lincoln” statue by noted sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens was installed in 1887 in honor of the 16th president, who though born in Kentucky moved to Illinois as a young man and lived there until he became president in 1861. It was among those under review by the Chicago Monuments Project, which aimed to scrutinize statues and public art in the city to determine which were offensive, problematic or did not present an equitable view of history.

The committee did not recommend the removal of the Lincoln statue in its final report. It instead suggested its accompanying plaque be revised in order to add broader historical context. {snip}

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