While calls for the removal of Christopher Columbus statues are happening across the nation, here in Memphis, the statue memorializing the Italian voyager has been vandalized twice. Two separate incidents of vandalism were reported to the statue in Marquette Park. "If you don't have a plan and all you're doing is vandalizing statues and things of that nature, you're just vandalizing," said park visitor Darrell Crawford.

The group behind the statue's funding spoke out Wednesday. "If you don't like Christopher Columbus or you think it stands for something bad, well, don't come here," commented Michael Spano, the UNICO Memphis Chapter Foundation president.  UNICO is an Italian-American organization which paid for the statue commission in 1984. "I'm sorry that this potentially offends some folks;' said Spano. "Okay, that is their right."