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Columbus, Ponce De Leon Statues Vandalized In Miami

CARL JUSTE
/
Miami Herald
Police arrested several protesters at Bayside Marketplace after statues of Columbus and Ponce de Leon were defaced on Wednesday, June 10, 2020.

Protesters vandalized the Bayside Marketplace statue of Christopher Columbus, whose legacy has grown contentious over how he treated indigenous communities in his quest to colonize, and when police arrived to stop them, things got heated Wednesday evening.

Seven people were arrested for the vandalizing of the statue, Miami police said. Using surveillance cameras, police saw and identified the seven, who were not named, spray paint two statues, one of Christopher Columbus and the other of Juan Ponce de León, outside of Bayside Marketplace, 401 Biscayne Blvd.

A hammer and sickle were on of the things spray painted onto them, police said. While trying to arrest the vandalizers, police said officers were assaulted and a police car was damaged.

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