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History Colorado Offers To Display Toppled Civil War Statue

A history museum in Colorado has offered to display the Civil War statue toppled by protesters outside of the state Capitol earlier this summer.

History Colorado said it would display the statue, which depicts a Union cavalryman, along with an explanation for why it was created, KUSA-TV reported.

Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration Executive Director Kara Veitch said it is still working with the museum and will eventually present a full proposal to state lawmakers.

There was a petition to remove the statue in 2017, but the petition falsely claimed it depicted Col. John Chivington, who orchestrated the Sand Creek Massacre, which killed more than 150 people including Native Americans.

Chivington’s name is on the memorial, and the plaque on the statue also calls the Sand Creek Massacre a battle, but this was corrected in another plaque.

According to the state's website, the statue was originally meant to honor Colorado soldiers who fought and died in the Civil War. First Colorado Cavalry member Captain Jack Howland designed the statue, and the state and Pioneers' Association paid for it.

The statue was erected on July 24, 1909, and toppled on June 25.

Monuments related to the Civil War have been targets for removal following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, who died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed and lying on the ground. His death prompted protests across the U.S. and around the world against police brutality and racial injustice.

Copyright 2020 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Associated Press
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