Chicago Mayor Orders Removal of Statue That City's Police Bled to Defend

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A week after 49 Chicago officers were injured, 18 hospitalized, defending a statue of Christopher Columbus in Grant Park from a mob of organized attackers , Mayor Lori Lightfoot has acquiesced to the protesters' demands and removed the statue.

Crews arrived around 1 a.m. Friday morning and a few dozen people cheered when the statue came down a few hours later, the Chicago Tribune reported .

The Chicago Tribune noted that the move is a reversal from Lightfoot, who initially opposed taking down the statue on the grounds that it would erase the history of the Italian explorer. She has also rejected calls to rename the Columbus Day holiday.

The swift removal came hours after hundreds of protesters gathered outside of Lightfoot's home in the Logan Square neighborhood, the Hill reports.