A Syracuse police surveillance camera is standing watch over the city’s Columbus monument as demonstrators battle over its future. The Italian explorer -- and statues depicting him nationwide -- have become a lightning rod as the country grapples with its history of conquest and racism.

Columbus statues in other cities have been removed or torn down. Buffalo’s statues was removed by the city in early July after being vandalized. In Baltimore, protesters pulled down the statues and threw it in the city’s harbor.