In the predawn hours Wednesday, the city unceremoniously removed the controversial statue of former mayor, police commissioner, and conservative icon Frank Rizzo.
Some TV news stations were on the scene to capture the massive artwork being rigged with straps and then wobbled back and forth before being yanked from its base in front of the main entrance to the Municipal Services Building across the street from City Hall.
The city said that the statue is being placed in secure storage by the Department of Public Property, “until a plan is developed to donate, relocate, or otherwise dispose of it.” There is no timeline for this plan, but “if and when” it is developed, it “will be presented to the Philadelphia Art Commission for approval.”
In a statement released on Wednesday morning, Mayor Jim Kenney said that the plan to remove the statue along with the 2021 renovation of Thomas Paine Plaza was a mistake and that “we prioritized efficiency over full recognition of what this statue represented to Black Philadelphians and members of other marginalized communities.
“The statue is a deplorable monument to racism, bigotry, and police brutality for members of the Black community, the LGBTQ community, and many others. The treatment of these communities under Mr. Rizzo’s leadership was among the worst periods in Philadelphia’s history,” Kenney said in the statement. “The battle for equal rights and justice is still being fought decades later, and our city is still working to erase that legacy. We now need to work for true equity for all Philadelphia residents, and toward healing our communities. The removal of this statue today is but a small step in that process.”
Rizzo had a reputation, which he embraced, as a law and order mayor. He was the police commissioner for the Philadelphia Police Deparment from 1968 to 1971, when he resigned to run for mayor. He won that election, and served from January 1972 to January 1980. He ran again in the Democratic primary in 1983, losing to Wilson Goode. In 1987, he ran as a Republican, losing again to Goode, this time by a narrow margin. In 1991, he won the Republican nomination but died before the general election, in which Ed Rendell was elected.
The statue of Rizzo, by sculptor Zenos Frudakis, was unveiled in 1999.
Shortly before 5 a.m., Pennsylvania National Guard troops stood quietly behind metal barricades as TV cameras were lined up on the other side. The only people around were the homeless still sleeping next to the plaza where Rizzo once waved to his beloved city.
Kyle Wright, 52, was coming home to the city from a night shift at the Amazon facility in King of Prussia. He recalled growing up as a black child in the city how he was scared of the police when Rizzo was in charge. “I remember as a kid when Rizzo was mayor, the city was pretty divided,” Wright said.
He didn’t really care about the statue one way or the other, Wright said, but he thought it was smart for the city to take it away. And he wondered what might replace it and who deserved to be honored.
Kenney has for the last three years pledged to move the Rizzo statueto another location. Since 2017, calls to move the statue have intensified, kicked off by a national reckoning over monuments to Confederate figures. In the fall, his administration announced the statue would be moved sometime in 2021.
That timeline was accelerated in the past few days as protests over the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man killed by a police officer, have swept the city. During Saturday’s protests, the statue was graffitied and protesters attempted to set it on fire. The statue was cleaned in the early morning on Sunday, prompting criticism that such a controversial symbol was given priority over the other destruction around Center City.
“I can’t wait to see it go away,” he said.
Brian Heiss, 35, was walking to work just after and stopped to take pictures of the historic scene. He learned about the removal on Twitter from a TV reporter.
“I was thrilled. I think the statue being removed is a great thing,” Heiss said. “It’s a nice gesture. But the systematic racism and systemic injustice that it represents is what the voices out here are pushing for. I think we can end that horrible system that’s been plaguing this city for decades if we keep our voices united.”
Heiss said he participated in the protest Saturday at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “I think the statue will wind up in South Philly where a lot of folks really — he’s beloved down there,” Heiss said. He added that if that’s where it does end up, the statue will still be divisive.
This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.
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June 03, 2020 at 08:30PM
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Frank Rizzo statue removed from outside the Municipal Services Building in the middle of the night - The Philadelphia Inquirer
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