Any entity, organization, or educational organization interested in acquiring Christopher Columbus Statue may submit a “request for interest”, the Christopher Columbus and Discovery Park Task Force announced Tuesday.
The Chula Vista City Council approved the permanent removal of the statue on Sept. 28, 2021, and appointed an 11-member task force to recommend the disposition of the statue. Discovery Park housed the 6-foot, bronze statue since 1990 in the Rancho Del Rey community.
“What is their purpose, how they want to exhibit it? That will allow us to really see who the stakeholders are within our community that are interested in this statue,” Ricardo Medina, chair of the task force said.
Chula Vista took down its Columbus statue hours ahead of a planned protest in July 2020. The move was deemed important by locals, who said the sculpture represented a symbol of hate, genocide, and theft of land.
Representatives of the Kumeyaay Nation have been at the forefront of calling for the statue’s removal. The greater San Diego Community, including the land where Discovery Park is located, was inhabited by the Kumeyaay, and many Kumeyaay continues to live in San Diego.
One of the groups interested in the statue is Sons and Daughters of Italy, San Diego.
Interested entities may submit requests for the statue starting in June, and the task force will recommend who should get the statue to the city council.
City council will have the final say in a decision that is anticipated this fall.
