Could Minnesota Have Their Own Statue Controversy Soon?
A group of Minnesotans has decided it's time for another controversial monument to go, and you'll never guess which one, and what their master plan is all about.
Look I get it, protesting statues is the "it" thing to do right now.
It's also fun to call each other "snowflakes" and blame the right/left when you don't agree with something blah blah blah...
But this is as ridiculous and "Minnesotan" as it gets.
According to Go MN, the Columbus statue outside the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul is the prime target of a group of citizens.
In fact, those same citizens went as far to create a petition to remove it... But it only gets better from there. Because they're not just simply asking to tear Columbus down. Nope, the sole purpose of the petition is to see the statue replaced with someone who better "represents Minnesota values."
They want someone who makes us Minnesotans proud of where they're from.
Here's a couple hints: He's best known for his music, his love for the color purple, and his life has been celebrated non-stop since his sudden-passing last April.
Yep, we're talking about the late-great purple one himself: Prince.
"Across the nation, city governments are choosing to remove statues of white supremacists, slave owners, and those who threatened the livelihood of Black people. Here in Minnesota, communities are reigniting the demand to bring down state’s monument to Christopher Columbus, a man who murdered, raped and enslaved Black and Native peoples in the Americas. We, the undersigned, do not believe that Columbus represents the values Minnesotans carry. Rather than glorify a man who wanted to extinguish Black and Native peoples, we should honor members of our community whose leadership we find inspirational," the petition states.
Before you stop snickering at your desk, I'll have you know that the petition is currently flirting with its goal of 2,000 signatures needed to cross Gov. Mark Dayton's desk.
Is the sky all purple? Are there people running every where? What the heck is going on here?!
I love Prince as much as the next fan, but let's all calm down. I would be all for erecting one in Paisley Park for him, or maybe something along First Ave, but not the State Capitol.
It'll be interesting to see what happens if this crosses our Governors desk, especially since he proclaims days of the year for celebrities like he's handing out Halloween candy.
What do you think?