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Statue of Frank Rizzo

Coordinates: 39°57′14″N 75°09′52″W / 39.95375°N 75.16449°W / 39.95375; -75.16449
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Statue of Frank Rizzo
Frank L. Rizzo Monument
A picture of the statue
The statue of former mayor Frank Rizzo stood in front of the Municipal Services Building in Center City Philadelphia
Map
Year1998 (1998)
MediumBronze sculpture
SubjectFrank Rizzo
Dimensions3.0 m (10 ft)[1]
ConditionRemoved 2020, now in storage
LocationPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates39°57′14″N 75°09′52″W / 39.95375°N 75.16449°W / 39.95375; -75.16449

A statue of Frank Rizzo, sometimes called the Frank L. Rizzo Monument, was installed in Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Erected in 1998,[2][3] the bronze sculpture was removed in June 2020.[1][4] Black Lives Matter activists and others protested the statue's presence, and the statue was taken down during the George Floyd protests.[5][6]

Background

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Main article: Frank Rizzo

As mayor, Rizzo was a strong opponent of desegregation of Philadelphia's schools, and prevented the construction of public housing in majority-white neighborhoods.[7] While running for a third term, Rizzo urged supporters to "Vote White".[8][9] During his tenure as police commissioner and mayor, the Philadelphia police department engaged in patterns of police brutality, intimidation, coercion, and disregard for constitutional rights.[10][11] The patterns of police brutality were documented in a Pulitzer-Prize winning Philadelphia Inquirer series by William K. Marimow and Jon Neuman.[12]

History

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The statue was placed on its pedestal on December 30, 1998 and unveiled on January 1, 1999. A crowd of 150 listened to speeches by Mayor Ed Rendell. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that sculptor Zenos Frudakis had "decided that his monument should be a statue walking toward the people, hand upheld in a greeting." The Inquirer report did not reference any of the controversy over Rizzo's past.[13]

Controversy and removal

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In 2013, following the not-guilty verdict in the death of Trayvon Martin, a sign was hung around the statue's neck with the message, "This system is still racist." The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Rizzo "had a poor relationship with Philadelphia's African-American community."[14]

Calls for the statue's removal began in 2016, when a group called the Philly Coalition for REAL Justice started an online petition.[15] In August 2017, following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the statue was vandalized, kicking off further calls for its removal. The artist behind the statue, Zenos Frudakis, told the Tribune that he "hesitated to do the work at first" due to Rizzo's past and would accept the statue's removal if the city decided on it.[16]

In November 2017, the city voted to remove the statue.[17] However, the mayor refused to remove the statue, due to the $200,000 expense involved.[18] Following unsuccessful attempts to pull down the statue by protesters, the mayor's office finally ordered the removal of the statue and it was placed into storage in July 2020.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Chappell, Bill (June 3, 2020). "Frank Rizzo Statue Is Removed In Philadelphia: 'It Is Finally Gone,' Mayor Says". NPR. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  2. ^ Griffith, Janelle (June 3, 2020). "Statue of divisive ex-Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo targeted in protests is taken down". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. ^ Davis, Corey (June 3, 2020). "Frank Rizzo statue removed from steps of the Municipal Services Building overnight". 6abc Philadelphia. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  4. ^ Pineda, Khrysgiana (June 3, 2020). "Controversial statue of former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo removed after George Floyd protests". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Hickey, Brian (August 10, 2018). "Rizzo foe: Let's gather next month with 'ropes and chains to tear the statue down'". www.phillyvoice.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  6. ^ Hawkins, Derek (August 18, 2017). "Former Philly mayor Frank Rizzo was no Confederate. But it's open season on his statue". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Blumgart, Jake. "A historian on the Rizzo debate: 'It comes down to what statues do'". WHYY. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Jaynes, Gregory (November 9, 1978). "Philadelphia's Message to Rizzo: 'Enough'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  9. ^ Blumgart, Jake (September 18, 2018). "How Philly's Frank Rizzo Rode 'Blue-Collar Conservatism' to Victory". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  10. ^ Williams, Suzanne Ife. Police brutality : case study of Philadelphia/Move. OCLC 84480572. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  11. ^ Blumgart, Jake (October 22, 2015). "The Brutal Legacy of Frank Rizzo, the Most Notorious Cop in Philadelphia History". Vice. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  12. ^ "Sketches of Pulitzer Prize Winners in Journalism, the Arts and Letters". The New York Times. April 18, 1978. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  13. ^ Burton, Cynthia (January 2, 1999). "Statue of Frank Rizzo is Unveiled as Crowd Cheers, Mummers Play". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Abdur-Rahman, Sulaiman (July 14, 2013). "Debate rages over verdict in Martin case". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 6, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  15. ^ Persinger, Ryanne (August 12, 2016). "Bring Rizzo down? Some say it's time". Philadelphia Tribune. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  16. ^ "Frank Rizzo statue creator says take it down if a problem". Philadelphia Tribune. August 18, 2017. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  17. ^ Mitchell, John (November 5, 2017). "City decides to remove Rizzo statue". Philadelphia Tribune. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  18. ^ "Rizzo's statue to stay put for now". Courier-Post. Associated Press. August 10, 2018. Archived from the original on March 14, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
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