City of Denver officials have decided not to return to the Civic Center area a statue commemorating Christopher Columbus and another representing Kit Carson. The Columbus memorial was toppled and spray painted by protesters. The likeness of a buckskinned Carson, on a leaping horse, was removed shortly after that by the city to protect it — just in case it was next.
Both had a history of controversy throughout the years because “they are symbols of the colonizers and the destructive effects of colonization,” said Tarriana Navas-Nieves, the city’s director of cultural affairs for Denver Arts and Venues. She said that Denver’s past has a different story than cities in the South.
“We are not a city with Confederate statues,” but she noted that Colorado’s history of Western expansion has its own contentious stories.
“In our case, it’s tricky,” she said. “It’s not an easy road to navigate.”
The city sent out notices last week to various parties affected by the decision including the artists’ families, the Italian Commission and the American Indian Movement. Glenn Morris, who sits on AIM’s leadership counsel, said the decision is a “step in the right direction” and added that “the city has come to its senses about recognizing the destructive nature of those statues.”