Columbus Day shines light on growing movement to replace holiday

Columbus statue in Detroit, Michigan, with a hatchet in his head.

CBS News, October 9, 2017

NEW YORK — Is it time to say arrivederci to Christopher Columbus?

A movement to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day has gained momentum in some parts of the U.S., with Los Angeles in August becoming the biggest city yet to decide to stop honoring the Italian explorer and instead recognize victims of colonialism.

Reno Police: Arrest warrants issued for driver, 2 protesters in Columbus Day incident

Screenshot of Nicholas Mahaffey before he drove his truck through protesters in Reno, Nevada, Oct 10, 2016.

By News 4, October 13th 2016

RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — Warrants have been issued for the arrests of the driver and two protesters involved in an incident in which a truck drove through protesters at the Reno Arch on Monday.

Police chief Jason Soto made the announcement at a press conference Thursday, saying two protesters had punched the driver and a passenger.

Five treated after driver hits Reno Columbus Day protesters

KOLO TV, October 10, 2016

RENO, Nev.— Officials with REMSA said five people were treated for minor injuries after being hit by a pickup driver during a confrontation in downtown Reno. It happened during a Columbus Day protest put on by the American Indian Movement of Northern Nevada (AIMNN).

Abolish Columbus Day Graphic

From Indigenous Action Media

Detroit’s Christopher Columbus statue vandalized

Columbus statue in Detroit, Michigan, with a hatchet in his head.

By Lee DeVito, Metro Times, Oct 12, 2015

It’s Columbus Day — the annual time of year where Americans take the day off of work to reflect upon the problematic legacy of Christopher Columbus.

In the spirit of the holiday, it appears that someone has vandalized the bust of Columbus located outside of Detroit’s Renaissance Center. A photo posted to Reddit shows what looks like a bloody hatchet blow to the statue’s head.

These 8 US Cities Just Abolished Columbus Day

Columbus Day is a federal holiday in the US and the target of protests since at leas the 1950s.

Dylan Sevett, USUncut, October 8, 2015

Following a growing trend, the city council of Albuquerque, New Mexico has voted six to three to recognize October 12th – typically known to most as “Columbus Day” within the USA– as Indigenous Peoples’ day in a new proclamation. Albuquerque has the highest concentration of Indigenous people in New Mexico.

In the past two months, eight cities got rid of Columbus Day in favor of adopting Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Three of those cities adopted Indigenous Peoples’ Day this week.

Seattle Marches To Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day

Natives rally in Seattle on Oct 13, 2014, to mark Indigenous People’s Day, officially declared by Seattle city council to replace the traditional Columbus Day festivities, the result of a campaign by Native activists.

by Alex Garland, TheDignityVirus.com, October 13, 2014

Activists for Indigenous rights, tribal members, native leaders, and indigenous people from around North America gathered to rally and celebrate Seattle’s newest holiday, Indigenous People’s Day, replacing Columbus Day. The event included a rally at Westlake Park, a march to Seattle Center and a rally at the John T. Williams memorial totem pole. More than 150 demonstrators marched through Seattle, stopping in intersections to sing and dance.

Chile indigenous groups mark Columbus Day with protests

Mapuche activists clash with police, demanding return of traditional lands; decry government mistreatment

Al Jazeera, October 13, 2013

Protesters clashed with police in Chile’s capital Saturday during an anti-Columbus Day march organized by Indigenous groups, with activists calling for the return of ancestral lands and the right to self-determination on the 521-year anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas.

Denver: Columbus Day Protest Widens

By Carol Berry, Indian Country Today,  October 8, 2011

Natives protest Columbus Day in Denver, Colorado, Oct 8, 2012.

Smoldering and flaming, copies of two documents that initiated the destruction of Native cultures went up in smoke to loud cheers October 8, as opponents of the Columbus Day Parade in Denver widened their attack to include Wall Street, the Keystone XL pipeline, sacred sites desecration, and other manifestations of the Columbian legacy.

San Francisco: Report From Anti-Columbus March (10/6/2012)

Indybay, Saturday, Oct 6th, 2012
Around 150 people gathered in Justin Herman Plaza. They were against everything: the military jets making metal of the air, the hordes of tourists thoughtlessly awing at the spectacular display of death above the city, the office towers and malls hanging above the waterfront, the unrestrained and uninterrupted reign of capitalism, slavery, colonialism, the empire.