For the second time in under two months, a statue dedicated to former President Abraham Lincoln statue was defaced by woke protestors gathering in the Midwestern city of Chicago.
On Thanksgiving, a statue of a young Abraham Lincoln in Senn Park in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood was found covered in splotches of red paint along with the words “COLONIZER” and “LAND BACK,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
Members of a group claiming responsibility for the vandalism said it was done in protest of Lincoln’s ordered execution of the Dakota 38, who were publicly hanged for participating in the Sioux Uprising in the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862 in Minnesota.
The action is also a criticism of Thanksgiving, a holiday proclaimed by Lincoln that the group says glosses over pilgrims’ treatments of Native Americans, organizers said.
“Thanksgiving is a celebration of the beginning of the European invasion of a land that was already inhabited by Native peoples,” members of the group said in a statement. “It is a celebration of the beginning of the murder and displacement of millions of Native peoples. The true way to honor Native people is to give land back.”
The vandalism also included QR links to information about Lincoln’s treatment of Indigenous people.
A Chicago Park District spokesperson said a police report had been filed and the remaining paint has been removed on Monday.
According to AWM:
The city might want to protect the image of Lincoln due to his part in American history. Lincoln famously freed the slaves from the horrible conditions of the American South where Blacks were held in bondage against their will so the white slaveowners could reap profits from their backbreaking work.
At the same time though, this incident is a reminder that America’s dark history can not be forgotten. By vandalizing the statue of Abraham Lincoln, protestors are making sure their voices are heard and that they will no longer accept a narrative where America’s past is glossed over or ignored. It is now up to the city of Chicago to decide how to respond. Will it choose to move forward in recognizing its past wrongs? Or will it turn and ignore them? Only time will tell.
Watch the video report below for more details:
Sources: AWM, Chicago Tribune