A month and a half after the city of Hartford removed a statue of Christopher Columbus near the Capitol, city councilors are looking to rename Columbus Boulevard downtown and take stock of other local monuments dedicated to the disgraced explorer.
Residents had a chance to speak at public hearing Monday night on a resolution to rename Columbus Boulevard for Frank T. Simpson, a local civil rights champion who led one of the first state civil rights commissions in the country. However, city council also voted unanimously last week to create an ad hoc task force to develop an inventory of all other local memorials to Columbus that are now deemed “unfit,” and to recommend a process to recognize other local heroes.
