BOSTON, Massachusetts — The head of a statue depicting Christopher Columbus in Boston's North End has been removed amid rising calls for an end of racism nationwide.
The vandalism occurred at some point overnight. A call was received by the Boston Police Department around 12:30 a.m.
The head was found nearby the rest of the still-standing structure.
It's not the first time that this statue has been targeted. The head of the statue was similarly removed in 2006, while in 2015, the statue was splattered in red paint, and the words "Black Lives Matter" were spray painted on it.
Many people view Columbus monuments as racist, given his history of slavery and violence towards Native Americans.
In the aftermath of the violent death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, cities in other states have seen Columbus statues vandalized. In Richmond, Virginia, for example, a statue was torn down, spray painted, set on fire and tossed in a lake.
Last Columbus Day in Providence, a statue was painted red with a sign placed under it reading "stop celebrating genocide."
