Vandals have once again covered the Christopher Columbus statue in Providence with red paint. The statue — located at the intersection of Elmwood and Reservoir avenues — was splashed from head to toe in red paint.  There was also a sign leaned up against the pedestal that said “Stop Celebrating Genocide."

The Providence police are investigating, according to Emily Crowell, a spokeswoman for Mayor Jorge Elorza. City crews were working Monday to remove the paint. This was not the first time the statue was vandalized on Columbus Day. Since 1992, Native American advocates have pressed states to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day over concerns that Columbus spurred centuries of genocide against indigenous populations in the Americas. There were incidents in 2010, 2015 and most recently, in 2017.