Christopher Columbus could be next on the monuments chopping block. The 76-foot structure honoring the explorer at Columbus Circle should be among the statues reviewed by the city for potential purging, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said on Monday.
She made the remarks while advocating for the removal of a different statue — of controversial Dr. J. Marion Sims — at 103rd street and 5th Avenue. Sims has been criticized for conducting medical experiments on slaves without anesthesia, while Columbus has been both lauded as an explorer and reviled as a marauder.
