North End state rep says Columbus statue a symbol of Italian heritage and North End persistence, so knock it off with the beheading

State Rep. Aaron Michlewitz says people need to look beyond Christopher Columbus's reputation as a cruel murderer of both natives and the Spaniards he led and consider the history of the North End and how the statue represents both some of the neighborhood's original Italian immigrants and the fight to keep the North End from becoming an overbuilt district of expensive condos.

In a Facebook post this afternoon, Michlewitz notes the city built the park in the 1960s, on the site of former wharf buildings, after a fight "by the North End people, who were at risk of watching their entire waterfront turn into development." He adds that vandalism is never the answer to make a case for change and that:

The statue was placed later on as a celebration of Italian heritage and was paid for by the families that surround the base of the statue. Some of those families were original North End immigrant families and their memory to this community will not be removed.

Mayor Walsh said today he's ordered the remainder of Columbus to be put in a warehouse while the city considers what to do about it following the overnight beheading. Michlewitz said that any discussion needs to be led by North End residents and the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park.

Michlewitz's complete statement:

Vandalism to private or public property is a completely wrong way to go about making a case for change, and that holds true on the vandalism that took place overnight at Columbus Park.

While Christopher Columbus has a complex history and symbolizes many different things to different people, there is a lot more to the history of the park then just the naming of it.

That park was built in the late 1960s under Mayor Kevin White and designed by his Parks Director Tony Forgione. It was fought for by the North End people, who were at risk of watching their entire waterfront turn into development.

The statue was placed later on as a celebration of Italian heritage and was paid for by the families that surround the base of the statue. Some of those families were original North End immigrant families and their memory to this community will not be removed.

If the City wants to have a dialogue about the future of the statue and the park, I ask that the North End Community and the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park are the ones that lead the process on how to move forward.

I ask that the celebration of Italian Heritage, which built this community to its strength of today, be the focus of any discussion.