Statue of Frank Rizzo

A statue of Frank Rizzo, sometimes called the Frank L. Rizzo Monument, was installed in Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Erected in 1998,[1][2] the bronze sculpture was removed in June 2020.[3][4] Black Lives Matter activists and others protested the statue's presence, and the statue was taken down during the George Floyd protests.[5][6]

Statue of Frank Rizzo
Frank L. Rizzo Monument
Statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo that formerly stood in front of the Municipal Services Building in Center City Philadelphia
Year1998 (1998)
MediumBronze sculpture
SubjectFrank Rizzo
LocationPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Background
Main article: Frank Rizzo

As mayor, Rizzo was a strong opponent of desegregation of Philadelphia's schools, and prevented the construction of public housing in majority-white neighborhoods.[7] While running for a third term, Rizzo urged supporters to "Vote White".[8][9] During his tenure as police commissioner and mayor, the Philadelphia police department engaged in patterns of police brutality, intimidation, coercion, and disregard for constitutional rights.[10][11] The patterns of police brutality were documented in a Pulitzer-Prize winning Philadelphia Inquirer series by William K. Marimow and Jon Neuman.[12]

History
Artist Zenos Frudakis with the statue, 2009

The statue was placed on its pedestal on December 30, 1998 and unveiled on January 1, 1999. A crowd of 150 listened to speeches by Mayor Ed Rendell. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that sculptor Zenos Frudakis had "decided that his monument should be a statue walking toward the people, hand upheld in a greeting." The Inquirer report did not reference any of the controversy over Rizzo's past.[13]

Controversy and removal

In 2013, following the not-guilty verdict in the death of Trayvon Martin, a sign was hung around the statue's neck with the message, "This system is still racist." The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Rizzo "had a poor relationship with Philadelphia's African-American community."[14]

Calls for the statue's removal began in 2016, when a group called the Philly Coalition for REAL Justice started an online petition.[15] In August 2017, following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the statue was vandalized, kicking off further calls for its removal. The artist behind the statue, Zenos Frudakis, told the Tribune that he "hesitated to do the work at first" due to Rizzo's past and would accept the statue's removal if the city decided on it.[16]

In November 2017, the city voted to remove the statue.[17] However, the mayor refused to remove the statue, due to the $200,000 expense involved.[18] Following unsuccessful attempts to pull down the statue by protesters in June 2020, the mayor's office finally ordered the removal.[19]

See also

References
  1. Griffith, Janelle (June 3, 2020). "Statue of divisive ex-Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo targeted in protests is taken down". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  2. Davis, Corey (2020-06-03). "Frank Rizzo statue removed from steps of the Municipal Services Building overnight". 6abc Philadelphia. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  3. Chappell, Bill (June 3, 2020). "Frank Rizzo Statue Is Removed In Philadelphia: 'It Is Finally Gone,' Mayor Says". NPR. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  4. Pineda, Khrysgiana (June 3, 2020). "Controversial statue of former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo removed after George Floyd protests". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  5. Hickey, Brian (August 10, 2018). "Rizzo foe: Let's gather next month with 'ropes and chains to tear the statue down'". www.phillyvoice.com. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  6. Hawkins, Derek (August 18, 2017). "Former Philly mayor Frank Rizzo was no Confederate. But it's open season on his statue". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  7. "A historian on the Rizzo debate: 'It comes down to what statues do'". WHYY. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  8. Times, By Gregory Jaynes Special to The New York (1978-11-09). "Philadelphia's Message to Rizzo: 'Enough'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  9. Blumgart, Jake. "How Philly's Frank Rizzo Rode 'Blue-Collar Conservatism' to Victory". CityLab. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  10. Williams, Suzanne Ife. Police brutality : case study of Philadelphia/Move. OCLC 84480572.
  11. Blumgart, Jake (2015-10-22). "The Brutal Legacy of Frank Rizzo, the Most Notorious Cop in Philadelphia History". Vice. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  12. "Sketches of Pulitzer Prize Winners in Journalism, the Arts and Letters". The New York Times. 1978-04-18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  13. Burton, Cynthia (January 2, 1999). "STATUE OF FRANK RIZZO IS UNVEILED AS CROWD CHEERS, MUMMERS PLAY". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  14. Abdur-Rahman, Sulaiman (July 14, 2013). "Debate rages over verdict in Martin case". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  15. Persinger, Ryanne (12 Aug 2016). "Bring Rizzo down? Some say it's time". Philadelphia Tribune.
  16. "Frank Rizzo statue creator says take it down if a problem". Philadelphia Tribune. Aug 18, 2017.
  17. Mitchell, John (5 Nov 2017). "City decides to remove Rizzo statue". Philadelphia Tribune.
  18. "Rizzo's statue to stay put for now". Associated Press. Aug 10, 2018.
  19. "Frank Rizzo Statue Is Removed In Philadelphia: 'It Is Finally Gone,' Mayor Says". NPR.org.

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