Camden city officials removed the Christopher Columbus statue from Farnham Park, angering protesters who planned a large march at the park this weekend. As city workers dismantled the statue, members of the community stepped in, angry this was being done ahead of their peaceful march.

The Italian explorer has long been associated in history textbooks for discovering the new world but is considered by many as a symbol of hate. “Christopher Columbus to us, as Black Americans, represents a privatizer, a colonizer, a rapist and many other things,” Camden resident Ronsha Dickerson said.