Cuomo: Statues coming down is a ‘healthy expression’
Thomas Catenacci on June 23, 2020
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York said he supports tearing down statues Tuesday, noting that it is a powerful statement about equality and anti-racism.
“People are making a statement about equality, about community, to be against racism, against slavery. I think those are good statements,” Cuomo said Tuesday on “Today.”
“It’s a healthy expression of people saying, ‘Let’s get some priorities here, and let’s remember the sin and mistake that this nation made and let’s not celebrate it,’” he added.
Cuomo’s comments came a day after he publicly supported the removal of the Theodore Roosevelt statue, located outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
The museum requested the removal of the city-owned statue on Sunday in a statement. The depictions of a Native American and African person walking along Roosevelt’s horse are racist, according to the museum’s statement.
“While the Statue is owned by the City, the Museum recognizes the importance of taking a position at this time. We believe that the Statue should no longer remain and have requested that it be moved,” the statement reads.
Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio granted the museum’s request Monday, according to The New York Times.
“The statue has representations that clearly do not represent today’s values,” de Blasio said at a press conference Monday. “The statue clearly presents a white man as superior to people of color. And that’s just not acceptable in this day and age.”
Statues and monuments have been under scrutiny across the country in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd. Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25 after an officer knelt on his neck, video showed.
Rioters attempted to tear down the monument of former President Andrew Jackson monument outside the White House on Monday night.
Protesters toppled a Christopher Columbus statue Richmond, Virginia, and beheaded a Columbus statue in Boston on June 9. The Columbus statue outside Minnesota’s Capitol was torn down on June 10.
The statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, a former President George Washington statue in Chicago and a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Montgomery, Alabama, have also been attacked in the weeks following Floyd’s death.
“Can you overdo it? Of course you can,” Cuomo said Tuesday morning. Cuomo has come out in support of keeping the Columbus monument in New York City because of its importance to the Italian-American community in New York, NPR reported earlier in June.
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How about tearing down the statue of the Communist Martin Luther King and opening the FBI sealed records ??
Shame on you Cuomo you fake and gutless person!
Shame on di Blasio , you are politically and brain empty!
You give up New York City for your own political gain!
You and the governor Cuomo betrayed whole idea of capitalism! But people won’t let you just to do it without consequences! It’s call political prostitution!
You know I’m sick and disappointed in what our democrats are doing to our country and church, l believe that they have already sold America outright ,that’s why there is a division in the white house today,destroying history and removing paintings and statues doesn’t cover up what the democratic party did in owning slave’s
You are one, dumb bozo, but, you are after all, a socialist, New York knucklehead. In reality, the men represented by many of the statues being “cleansed” by the brainwashed (you call it woke) mob were actually great men who faced extreme danger and hardship in their efforts to start this great experiment called America. Read about the history of the men who signed our Declaration of Independence. Read it before there isn’t a history left to read Cuomo. Sure they had some bad habits and beliefs, but more importantly, they established a form of government that was able to move forward and away from certain beliefs, and left many “acceptable” practices behind in the trash bin of history. Oh crap, there’s that awful word again!
As a second generation American, one whose parents parents fled Germany and Italy to escape the World War 1 ravaged Europe, I respect the history of the United States. I too have an ownership in those statues being decimated by groups of vandals and thugs. Like untold millions of other freedom loving citizens, no one cares about what my investment and beliefs are concerning this wanton and senseless destruction. The millions of Americans whose families shed blood on battlefields foreign and domestic have a right to be heard too! Well, be heard we will. Come November 3rd, we will make our presence known bozo. We are not the minority as your fake news sources paint us, and we’re not fooled by your lies. You can spend a billion dollars on a campaign like your bozo “brother” Bloomberg, but the truth isn’t for sale. You and your fellow communist party candidates had better understand: putting lipstick on a pig doesn’t make it anything but a pig with lipstick.
Cuomo when are you going to kneel to them like Pelosi did. I think if you are ok with taking down history, then you should find an apartment and let them take down your house. NY is going to be a ghost state when done. You are more concerned how good you look then admitting you screwed up. You sure had people praising you for your stupid daily briefing. Oh look he deserves all media attention because everyone thinks he’s better then our President. Yet everything you didn’t do you demanded our President do for you. He did just that and in the end you are the one who looked like a fool. Now you hurt your citizens for fame. So much for being in charge and protecting your state. Do you really think we are going to bail your dumb butt out? NO. I think NY residents better be finding others who aren’t chickens and run their mouths the whole time not caring about your people and businesses. Maybe Blasio wife can give you all that money she ripped off the people. Talk about a wife in charge, Blasio is definitely wiped. Grow some Cuomo and Blasio.
I always thought NY was the place to be. Loved going to Madison Square garden for concerts and just walk around. Now, I will never Go back to New York. Just proves being a sanctuary city will ruin something great. Evil Democrats. TRUMP 2020
A statue can be interpreted anyway a person chooses to interpret it. Roosevelt was a great champion of the native American and black peoples. This is why they are on the statue with him. Just because he was on a horse doesn’t make him superior,.The barbarians are tearing down statues of those who fought against slavery and even Christopher Columbus who was a devout Christian who hated slavery. This is not about George Floyd or even slavery. The cause is being used by evil thugs and savages.