Back in 2020, then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot had three statues of Christopher Columbus removed in Chicago. For all the time since, Italian American groups in the city have been fighting to put them back. They continue to do so, and now call the removal of the statues "selective censorship." A few weeks ago, there was an uproar at City Hall over a piece of art on display at the Chicago Cultural Center.
The display, titled "U.S-Israel War Machine," is part of an exhibit on puppets, and a group of alderpeople have called it antisemitic and want it removed. At a City Council committee meeting earlier this month, "U.S.-Israel War Machine" sparked a heated debate about what should or should not be allowed on city property. But Ron Onesti of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans said there was no such debate about the Columbus statues. "There was no outrage by City Council back in 2020," he said.
