BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Common Council voted unanimously Tuesday to rename Columbus Park, which is located along Porter Avenue and Niagara Street, to Prospect Park.
The Christopher Columbus statue was removed from the park in July on orders from Mayor Byron Brown and agreement of the common council.
The Federation of Italian-American Societies of Western New York requested to have the statue taken down so it would not be a distraction to the social justice movement currently underway and to protect the statue from damage.
Across the nation, several Columbus statues have been targeted for destruction because of Columbus's controversial history concerning the treatment of indigenous peoples.
According to the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, when the Columbus statue was installed in the 50's, there was a request to rename the park after the statue.
The common council credited the Italian-American community for the name change to Prospect Park, which is the original name of the park.
The Federation of Italian-American Societies announced in October a new bronze statue will replace the Columbus statue that was taken down in July.
Entitled "La Terra Promessa" or "The Promised Land," it will depict an Italian immigrant family coming to Buffalo to begin a new life.
