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After judges in an appellate court heard arguments in the Columbus monument lawsuit on Monday, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said in a Tuesday statement that he’ll continue to work with local organizations that have filed amicus briefs to ensure the monument is finally removed and replaced.

“I am committed to ensuring the center of the circle honors our Italian American community and to following the necessary legal processes to create a space that is safe, inclusive, and welcoming to all,” Walsh said in the statement.

During the Monday hearings, John Powers, the attorney representing the city, argued that New York State Supreme Court Justice Gerard Neri’s initial March 2022 ruling in the lawsuit to keep the monument up was issued prematurely because the city’s administrative processes in removing and replacing the statue were incomplete.

Walsh said Powers’ argument communicated Walsh’s exercise of his statutory duty and authority in his original decision to remove the statue. Powers also argued Monday that the city is no longer beholden to a Preservation Covenant contract from the 1990s that would keep the statue standing downtown because of the state’s fully-informed decision to terminate it.

When Walsh first announced plans to remove the statue in October 2020, he shared his intention to build a park honoring multiple heritage groups in its place. Hilary Coppola — who belongs to the Women of Italian and Syracuse Heritage of Central New York group — is advising Walsh as a member of the Syracuse Heritage Park Commission on his post-removal plans for the park.

Coppola said the commission already has plans in place for the park’s renovation, which are ready to move forward once the appeal decision is issued.

“There are developments to turn the space into a healing, peaceful space where everybody can gather together and not be accosted by such a reminder of violence,” Coppola said.

Walsh said he’s taking the necessary legal steps to build the park alongside several local organizations which have supported the city in the lawsuit by filing amicus briefs. Powers pointed to the amicus briefs in the Monday hearings as key supports for the city’s argument to remove the monument.

On March 15, WISH CNY and Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation filed a joint amicus brief to support Walsh’s appeal of Neri’s decision. In the brief, WISH CNY and NOON argued that Neri’s decision didn’t consider the broader public interest of the monument’s removal. The Onondaga Nation also filed a brief in January to support Walsh’s appeal.

NOON has been an active advocate for the Onondaga Nation’s sovereignty as a member of the Syracuse Peace Council since 1936, and WISH CNY was founded in July 2020 with the express purpose of pushing for the statue’s removal, according to the organizations’ websites. Coppola said the two had been advocating for the monument’s removal before the lawsuit, but joined to write the brief after hearing Neri’s initial ruling.

“The Onondaga Nation has a vested interest in the statue not being in public space. It exists on their unceded territory and is a reminder to their citizens that go downtown of the violent oppression that other people have faced and for the obstacles that are still there, and is also depicting native people who are not Onondaga in ways that are not respectful,” Coppola said.

In a 2020 statement, Tadodaho Chief Sidney Hill of the Onondaga Nation wrote that it’s “burdensome” for members of the Onondaga Nation to see the statue, despite understanding some members of the Italian American community’s wish for representation.

“Within our lands and hearts, finding equality and peace is difficult knowing the hardships our ancestors endured as a consequence of his campaign,” Hill wrote. “Our own monuments, beautiful lakes, streams, rivers, and the earth itself, has suffered greatly as a direct result (of the) principle of the Doctrine of Discovery to which Columbus used to claim the lands in the name of the Spanish crown.”
Coppola emphasized the monument itself doesn’t accurately represent Italian American heritage for many members of the community, and said WISH CNY doesn’t find any pride in Columbus’ legacy.

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“Our group of Italian women that joined together do not accept Columbus as an emblem of Italian pride and reject that association,” Coppola said. “So we’re very hopeful that the judges will see what we’ve demonstrated in our affidavits discussing the historical record, discussing our involvement in community leadership and involvement and in the city’s process to move the statue.”

Until the appeal’s ruling is issued, WISH CNY and NOON will continue efforts of education and advocacy, Coppola said. WISH CNY remains engaged with informing the local community about women of Italian heritage, and is working with NOON to plan an Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration and film festival, she said.

A decision from the appellate court in the case is expected to be issued this summer. If the justices rule in favor of the city, the case will revert to the New York State Supreme Court.

Published on April 5, 2023 at 2:17 am

Contact Stephanie: spwright@syr.edu