Minnesota Senate panel votes to put Columbus statue back up at Capitol

Senate Republicans want the state of Minnesota to restore a statue of Christopher Columbus torn down by a group of Native American demonstrators last year to its former spot on the Capitol campus.

The Senate's State Government Committee voted on Wednesday to repair and return the statue as soon as possible, though lack of support from DFLers at the Capitol makes it unlikely to happen this year.

Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, noted that the statue, first erected in 1931, was an initiative of the state's Italian American community, which at the time often faced discrimination. He said it would cost about $154,000 to put it back up.

"This is public property," said Ingebrigtsen, who's sponsoring the measure. "Everybody in the state of Minnesota owns this, and everybody in the state of Minnesota can come to see this. There seems to be a push to remove our history here in Minnesota and our country, and quite frankly that's the wrong direction."

A group of protesters from the American Indian Movement (AIM) toppled the statue last June, not long after George Floyd's death, at a time when groups of demonstrators were toppling statues around the country.

Native Americans and others have long taken exception to the now-discredited idea that Columbus, a 15th-century Genoese explorer and early European colonizer of the Americas, "discovered" America.

Michael Forcia, an AIM leader, was charged with one count of felony destruction of property but later agreed to 100 hours of community service, a year's probation and a letter of restitution in exchange for having that charge suspended.

The statue, which sat for decades on the east side of the State Capitol's front lawn, has been in storage since last June. Prominent DFLers including Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, an enrolled tribal member, have said it should not be restored.

"Christopher Columbus was a colonizer, a mass murderer and a racist," said Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis. "To restore this statue to its original place with taxpayer money is a giant slap in the face to our Native brothers and sisters."

The Minnesota State Patrol has had the statue in storage since last year. A panel known as the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB) controls the placement of art in the State Capitol and on its grounds. Since last year, the board, which Flanagan chairs, has initiated a process to create new standards for removing art deemed offensive.

Paul Martell, the board's executive secretary, said the statue is likely to stay in storage until that new process is in place; after that, he expects a push to permanently remove the statue.

Flanagan has previously said she was not disappointed to see the statue toppled. "Any conversation about the future of the Minnesota Capitol should include the voices of all Minnesotans to build a space where everyone is seen, heard and valued," a spokeswoman for Flanagan said.

The full Senate is likely to debate and vote on the measure in the coming weeks. But Rep. Michael Nelson, DFL-Brooklyn Park, who chairs the House State Government Committee, said he does not intend to hold a hearing on the bill in the House. "We created the CAAP Board to keep these kinds of decisions out of politics," he said.

Nelson said he is sympathetic to Native Americans who feel Columbus should no longer be held in esteem. "Times change," he said.

Patrick Condon • 612-673-4413