LI Town to ‘Woke’ NYC: We’ll Take Statues Honoring Washington, Jefferson, Columbus
Craig McCarthy and Alyssa Guzman, New York Post, September 20, 2023
A Long Island town says it will gladly welcome the latest potential victims of New York City’s cancel culture: statues of historical figures such as George Washington and Christopher Columbus.
Brookhaven officials said they already even have spots picked out for the statues — and will cover the cost of dismantling and shipping them.
“You know, I didn’t want to comment on whether that was right or wrong because that’s a decision of the city. But I said, ‘If you’re going to do that, hey, we’ll take the statues,’ ” Town Supervisor Edward Romaine told The Post on Tuesday.
Referring to once-hallowed historical figures now considered controversial by alleged “woke” haters, Romaine said, “We look at their accomplishments, what they did for their time and how they contributed to the long arc of history.
{snip}
During Tuesday’s public hearing before the city council’s Cultural Affairs Committee, the author of the bill, Councilwoman Sandy Nurse (D-Brooklyn), insisted she is attempting to correct history, not cancel it.
She said she wants the city’s Public Design Commission to consider eliminating statues from the public square because of their controversial legacies involving slavery or mistreating indigenous peoples. The PDC also could install plaques next to the statutes explaining the honoree’s misdeeds.
“It’s a reckoning with the historical injustices that continue to haunt our cities,” Nurse said.
