As the fight continues over the future of the Christopher Columbus statue in downtown Syracuse, supporters of keeping the statue turned out for a rally in front of the statue at Columbus Circle on Saturday morning, Oct. 7. Multiple people at the rally spoke in favor of the statue. People against the Columbus statue also attended and held a banner reading, “Columbus didn’t discover anything. 1,000’s of Native Nations were already here.”

The rally comes as the City of Syracuse and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh are looking to take down the statue. In July, an appellate court based in Rochester ruled in favor of the city, allowing them to take steps to start the process of removing the statue. The Columbus Monument Corporation is appealing the decision.