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Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the removal of the city’s 89-year-old Christopher Columbus statue late Thursday after hundreds of left-wing extremists gathered outside her home in Logan Square, though it’s not clear whether the two events are linked.
Around 9:00 pm Thursday evening, video footage began to emerge on social media of crowds of left-wing extremists marching to Lightfoot’s neighborhood to call for the defunding of the Chicago Police Department.
Look (*Language warning):
The march is beginning bikers are blocking traffic as protesters hit the streets. #Chicago #ChicagoProtests pic.twitter.com/OyqwyDvAPK
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
Appears the march is heading to Lori Lightfoots home. #Chicago #ChicagoProtests pic.twitter.com/ae7Cm8Yy53
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
Police have the block Mayor Lightfoot lives on blocked off with a barricade and about 50+ officers. Wrightwood ans Kimbal are completely shut down now. #Chicago #ChicagoProtests pic.twitter.com/cRJRyx3Zo5
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
Protesters just noticed that a camera was installed to watch the intersection of Wrightwood and Kimbal. They waved and flipped it off and a few folks are looking for a laster to point at the camera with. #Chicago #ChicagoProtests pic.twitter.com/HESJrHFDOq
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
Folks are now singing and dancing to a remix of YMCA called “Fuck CPD” #Chicago #ChicagoProtests pic.twitter.com/zHYzqKrDoH
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
As the “protests” were underway, something inexplicable happened.
“As the protest demanding the defunding of the Chicago Police Department continued, reports surfaced on social media in the evening, stating the Christopher Columbus statue at Grant Park could be taken down as soon as late Thursday night,” local station WMAQ reported.
As word spread, the “protest” reportedly turned celebratory.
Watch:
Folks at Wrightwood and Kimbal begin celebrating after they received news that the Lightfoot plans to remove the Christopher Columbus Statue in Chicago. #Chicago #ChicagoProtests pic.twitter.com/MttamSWlY8
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
The crowd reacts to the news that Mayor Lori Lightfoot plans to remove the Christopher Columbus statue!!!!! #ChicagoProtests #LoganSquareLockdown #DefundCPD pic.twitter.com/vniFj3b2RR
— Vashon Jordan Jr. (@vashon_photo) July 24, 2020
It’s not clear what happened afterward, though some footage from the scene appeared to show the extremists still hanging out in the area long after the announcement and singing profane songs about President Donald Trump.
Watch:
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot agreed to let feds into Chicago. So this is the scene outside her house tonight.
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) July 24, 2020
WOP, WOP, WOP, WOP, WOP! #Chicago #ChicagoProtests #LoganSquareLockdown #DefundCPD pic.twitter.com/fNYQfbTcHG
— Vashon Jordan Jr. (@vashon_photo) July 24, 2020
PHOTOS 1: Protest to Dance Party! Chicagoans celebrate near Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s home in response to the expected removal of the Christopher Columbus statue. This comes after a bloody clash with Chicago Police. More demands have yet to met. #ChicagoProtests #LoganSquareLockdown pic.twitter.com/W5VWSRF5eL
— Vashon Jordan Jr. (@vashon_photo) July 24, 2020
A couple of hours later footage began to emerge of the Christopher Columbus statue in Grant Park being removed.
Look:
Crews are currently tying cables and ropes to the statue now. #Chicago #Columbus pic.twitter.com/KvlQ71JaKd
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
The statue is now strapped to the crane looks like its going to be pulled very soon. #Chicago #Columbus pic.twitter.com/8PZvokFf1F
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
Somethings happened and the statue kind of started to collapse while crews were near it. #Chicago #Columbus pic.twitter.com/2rTSFKbWJK
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
The Columbus Statue in Chicago has been removed. #Chicago #Columbus pic.twitter.com/Q8Fp94WeGG
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
Statue came down almost exactly at 3:00 A.M. #Chicago #Columbus pic.twitter.com/mR1QyFsbdM
— Tyler LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) July 24, 2020
(** Language warning)
CHICAGO, YOU DID IT!
THE CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS STATUE IN GRANT PARK IS GONE!
LORI LIGHTFOOT FELT YOUR FUCKING HEAT AND REMOVED THE STATUE AT 3 AM IN A FEABLE ATTEMPT TO SAVE HER REPUTATION.
THIS IS THE BEGINNING. SEE YOU AT FREEDOM SQUARE.#DecolonizeZhigaagoong #DefundCPD pic.twitter.com/mVQbtb2sih
— Chicago Commune (@chicago_commune) July 24, 2020
Pay special attention the latter tweet, and note how the left-wing extremist who posted it was still angry at Lightfoot despite her stunning, unexpected concession.
The removal of the statue came a week after over 1,000 left-wing extremists swarmed Grant Park last Friday and tried to tear the statue down themselves. The extremists also attacked police officers and journalists.
See scenes from the riot below:
After realizing some of the CPD units left to guard the Columbus statue, the crowd marches/runs over, chants Fuck 12. Items are being thrown over pic.twitter.com/v8ocVr7GP8
— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) July 18, 2020
— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) July 18, 2020
“We don’t want them to shoot us” as someone throws fireworks pic.twitter.com/bNQuvFcIEt
— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) July 18, 2020
Protesters launch fireworks and other items at Chicago police officers guarding Columbus statue in Grant Park pic.twitter.com/WCga8c47Ty
— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) July 18, 2020
This is not the way, a man shouts as someone throws something incendiary at the cops pic.twitter.com/AtOUAqFXAM
— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) July 18, 2020
They made it over and are trying to topple it now. pic.twitter.com/k0am0GJ2x0
— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) July 18, 2020
A person has scaled the top of the statue. Someone is throwing a rope up at them. pic.twitter.com/ZqWfD18W9Q
— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) July 18, 2020
Black Lives Matter rioters are stoning Chicago police who are defending a Christopher Columbus statue. pic.twitter.com/XCtMIDQI8z
— Richard (@Wildman_AZ) July 18, 2020
And on the other side, here were a few protesters who first blocked my camera and then proceeded to try to take it out of my hands — this was not live
Afterwards, a few other protesters came to ask if I was okay and if I would refrain from filming protesters’ faces @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/wQy8rD6iwa
— Marissa Parra (@MarParNews) July 18, 2020
While the left is now predictably celebrating Lightfoot’s concession, the right is warning of the long-term consequences of this “Maoist-like” cultural revolution.
Look:
12 years ago on election night when Obama & Biden stood on stage in Grant Park, no one seemed bothered by the Christopher Columbus statue. Now their party has moved far left, pushing a Maoist-style effort to eliminate history. pic.twitter.com/ixLSzx1JIt
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) July 24, 2020
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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