NYC Council advances bid that could yank monuments honoring Washington, Jefferson, Columbus

By Carl Campanile for New York Post –

New York’s City Council — which just passed a budget that’s already been deemed a flop — is now spending some of its time advancing a plan that could kill off monuments honoring figures such as George Washington.

The Democratic-led council’s Cultural Affairs Committee is set to hold a public hearing Tuesday on a proposal to yank artworks from city property dedicated to historical figures such as George Washington, Peter Stuyvesant and Christopher Columbus because of their controversial pasts.

But critics immediately branded the effort as cancel culture run amok.

“Columbus was a migrant!’’ fumed Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition.

Vivolo vowed to fight any attempt to remove monuments of the famous Italian explorer from city parkland — including the most recognizable statue at Columbus Circle.

Among the council’s usual major responsibilities is passing a budget.

The lawmakers approved a spending plan at the end of June, but it’s already a disaster — with Mayor Eric Adams ordering city agency cuts because it’s potentially out of balance to the tune of billions of dollars thanks to the migrant crisis, critics note.

The 51-member council also oversees the operation of city agencies and passing of local regulations and laws that span everything from outdoor dining to zoning matters.

But now, a main focus is cancelling historical figures.

And it’s not an idle threat.

A statue of Thomas Jefferson, the drafter of the Declaration of Independence and America’s third president, was removed from City Hall because he was a slaveholder.    

The Cultural Affairs Committee’s upcoming hearing involves legislation that would require the city’s Public Design Commission to publish a plan to remove works of art on Big Apple property “that depict a person who owned enslaved persons or directly benefited economically from slavery, or who participated in systemic crimes against indigenous peoples or other crimes against humanity.”

If the commission determines that a statue or monument honors a person who committed crimes against humanity but votes not to remove the artwork, it would require the city to install an “explanatory plaque” about the misdeeds of the historical figure, according to the bill authored by Brooklyn Council Sany Nurse and co-sponsored by 16 other lawmakers.