NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the removal of New Haven's Christopher Columbus statue and there's still no plan in place as to where it might end up.
"It was removed very underhandedly," said Peter Criscuolo of the Italian American Heritage Organization.
On June 24, 2020, the Christopher Columbus statue was removed from its pedestal in New Haven's Wooster Square Park, where it stood for nearly 130 years. So, where is it now?
"Under lock and key at New Haven Public Works," said Criscuolo.
By August 1, he says his organization will file a federal lawsuit claiming "discrimination against Italians."
Criscuolo says if they don’t win in federal court, they’ll go as far as they can legally.
"If we start picking away at this group of people that group of people when are we going to stop," Criscuolo wondered. "Is somebody going to find fault someday with something Michelangelo did, and spray paint the Sistine chapel?"
Shortly after the removal of the Columbus statue, the mayor appointed a committee to identify what statue might take the place of Columbus "to commemorate New Haven‘s long history of Italian American migration and communities that are Italian American growing and thriving," said Mayor Justin Elicker (D - New Haven).
Among those marking the one-year anniversary of the Columbus statue removal was Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti.
"And he has offered if we do not win (the lawsuit), if we are not successful, he would be proud to take our statue and put it in the center of Shelton," said Criscuolo.
In response to the assertion, that Columbus was a terrible human being and slave trader, Criscuolo made one final point, using money.
"On American currency, (there) are pictures of prominent people, who had slaves," he said, holding up several dollar bills. "Should we destroy our American currency?"
With the return of Columbus statues to some cities across the country, Criscuolo feels it bodes well for New Haven's prospects of having the same happen.
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