A 40-year-old statue dedicated to Capt. John O’Donnell, an Irish-born merchant who enslaved people on his plantation in Canton, was removed Monday night by Baltimore City.
A controversial statue in Canton was removed Monday night.
Crews removed the statue of Capt. John O Donnell, who, in 1786, founded Canton as a plantation where he owned slaves. Hundreds of people signed a petition to take down the statue and sent letters to City Hall.
Mayor Brandon Scott released a statement calling this a historical moment, saying: Tonight, the hostile vestige to the notorious enslaver Captain John O Donnell no longer stands in Canton Square. This is a historical moment, however, countless publicly named monuments, statues, streets and schools across Baltimore remain that must be reassessed. I am committed to dismantling structural oppression in Baltimore by working with the city administrator to commission a team to establish procedures for reviewing the impact of these cruel monuments while continuing to promote equitable policies to right yesterday’s wrongs. Thanks to the Canton Anti-Racism Alliance for their persistence on this effort and continuous work on
The US city of Baltimore has removed a statue of an Irish-born slave-owning merchant from a square in the neighbourhood he founded in 1786.
After the statue of Captain John O’Donnell was removed from his namesake park in the Canton neighbourhood on Monday night, mayor Brandon Scott said his administration is determined to do much more to erase a legacy of racism.
“Countless publicly named monuments, statues, streets, and schools across Baltimore remain that must be reassessed,” Mr Scott said.
“I am committed to dismantling structural oppression in Baltimore by working with the City Administrator to commission a team to establish procedures for reviewing the impact of these cruel monuments while continuing to promote equitable policies to right yesterday’s wrongs,” Mr Scott said.
feed to stay on top of the news.
O’Donnell, who was born in Limerick, Ireland, founded Canton as a plantation where he owned slaves after buying about 2,000 acres along the waterfront in 1786, The Baltimore Sun reports. The outlet says the nation’s first census listed 36 slaves living at O Donnell s plantation. He died in 1805 at the age of 56.
The statue was installed in O’Donnell Square park in 1980 by the Canton Improvement Association two years after the neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
“Tonight, the hostile vestige to the notorious enslaver Captain John O’Donnell no longer stands in Canton Square,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D) said in a statement Monday.
Football and Horror-ific Decor Clash To Create Week's Most Popular Home realtor.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from realtor.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.