New York City Council removes Jefferson statue: America's slave president does not represent contemporary values

According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, the New York City Council demolished the statue of Jefferson because employees complained that it did not represent "contemporary values." City council members disagreed on the removal of the statue, with some claiming the move was "subverting history."

The New York City Council demolished the Jefferson statue

A statue of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was removed at New York City Hall on Monday (22nd) after employees complained that the former president who owned slaves made them uncomfortable. The statue was crammed into a wooden box after it was removed and is planned to be relocated in the halls of the New York Historical Society in the future.

The request to remove the Jefferson statue originally came from the New York City Commission for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, whose director was Chirlane McCray, the wife of outgoing New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had complained about the slave owner's statue by black city employees.

At the initiative of his wife, Deshow wrote a letter to City Hall, in which he said: "The statue of Jefferson in the Halls of the City Council is inappropriate, and it is a constant reminder that injustices have existed in the black community since the founding of the United States, jefferson is the most famous slave owner in the United States, and he is also a scholar who insists that blacks are inferior to whites." ”

However, not every member of the New York City Council agreed to remove the statue. Minority leader Joe Borelli, for example, reportedly said the move would "put history on the sidelines."

In addition to the sculpture, a large number of statues of Civil War-era Confederate figures have been removed across the United States in the past 12 months. The largest number of statues were removed during the "Black Lifes Matter" protests that swept the United States after white police officer Derek Chauvin "knelt down" to kill George Floyd in May 2020. (Editor: SDY)