Results for: Statue removal

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has reinstated an appeal by the Italian Sons and Daughters of America against the removal of a Christopher Columbus statue from Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. The court ruled that a lower court erred in dismissing the group’s claims, which include violations of the city charter, code, and ordinance. The statue, which has been vandalized several times, was wrapped in plastic in 2020 and had recently become partially exposed. Disputes over Columbus statues have also occurred in Philadelphia, Richmond, Columbia, Wilmington, Camden, and Boston.

An appeals court in Pennsylvania has allowed an Italian heritage group’s challenge to the city of Pittsburgh’s efforts to remove a statue of Christopher Columbus from a city park to proceed. The Commonwealth Court ruled that the group’s claims of violations of the city’s charter, code, and ordinance cannot be dismissed as merely procedural issues.

The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania has ruled that an Italian heritage group can challenge the city of Pittsburgh’s efforts to remove a statue of Christopher Columbus from Schenley Park. The Italian Sons and Daughters of America had filed a lawsuit after the Pittsburgh Art Commission voted to remove the statue in 2020. The group argued that the mayor could not override a 1955 city council ordinance that authorized the statue’s installation. The Commonwealth Court ruled that the previous judge had erred in dismissing the group’s claims entirely. The court also rejected the group’s challenge to the judge’s refusal to recuse himself from the case. The statue, which has been vandalized several times, remains in the park, but is currently covered in plastic. Disputes over Columbus statues have occurred in other cities across the country, including Philadelphia and Richmond, Virginia.

An appeals court in Pennsylvania has sent back to a lower court a challenge by an Italian heritage group to the city of Pittsburgh’s efforts to remove a Christopher Columbus statue from a city park. The Italian Sons and Daughters of America had sued in 2020 after the Pittsburgh Art Commission voted to remove the statue, and then-mayor Bill Peduto also recommended its removal. The group argued that the mayor could not override a 1955 city council ordinance that cleared the way for the statue’s installation. The Commonwealth Court rejected the group’s challenge to the lower court’s refusal to remove himself from the case, but said the lower court erred in dismissing all of the group’s claims.

Taiwan has announced plans to remove over 750 statues of Chiang Kai-shek, a former dictator who ruled the island for nearly three decades. Chiang’s reign was marked by brutality and political repression, with an estimated 140,000 people imprisoned and 3,000 to 4,000 executed. Despite his authoritarian rule, Chiang is also credited with modernizing Taiwan and helping to secure its independence from China. The decision to remove his statues has sparked debate in Taiwan, with some arguing that it is an attempt to erase the country’s historical ties to China.