The "'Black Lives Matter' Is Gaining Momentum: Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Had just returned from taking a photo of the statue of Christopher Columbus that is located on Lenox Lane in the center of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  In the past week or so someone had spray painted the bust a bright red as a protest to his being featured  as a local hero in Lancaster.  

Christopher Columbus

Seems the legacy of the 15th century explorer is not what most of us believe it should be.  The statue is in a small pedestrian alley next to the courthouse where it is the only prominent item for all to view.  Same thing seems to be happening in various other cities all around the United States.  In nearby Philadelphia, Mayor Kenny has initiated "a public process" to determine the future of their Columbus statue located in South Philadelphia.  Lancaster's statue goes back 50 years.  In 1970 Antonio Palumbo, a retired electrician, began promoting the idea of a statue honoring Columbus.  In 1988 former Mayor Art Morris appointed a seven-member committee to study a downtown place for the statue if one is made.  In 1991 the Columbus Quincentenary Committee  was permitted to put a bronze statue of Columbus in Lenox Lane, next to the old county courthouse.  A year later it was unveiled, with about two dozen protesters present.  

So, what's the big deal with Christo- pher?  I remember him from school when "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue."  No, wait... maybe it was "In 1493, Columbus sailed the deep blue sea."  Well, doesn't really matter since he sailed with his three ships, the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria.  He was credited with discovering the "New World", but has long been considered a contentious figure in US history for his treatment of the indigenous communities he encountered and for his role in the violent colonization at their expense.  During his voyages through the Caribbean Islands and the Central and South American coasts, Columbus came upon indigenous people that he labeled "Indians."  Columbus and his men enslaved many of these native people and treated them with extreme violence and brutality.  During his years in the Americas he forced natives to work for his own benefit.  At one point he shipped thousands of Taino "Indians" to Spain to be sold, and many of them died during the journey.   They weren't immune to diseases such as smallpox, measles and influenza and when they did arrive in Spain, the majority of them died.  The natives who weren't sold into slavery were forced to look for gold in mines and work on plantations.  When he was Governor of what is now the Dominican Republic, he killed many natives in response to their revolt and had their bodies paraded through the streets.  It is thought that close to 90% of the native population died due to Christopher Columbus.  So, it is easy to see why his sculptures are being taken down in many US cities.  My guess is it will also be taken down in Lancaster.  Now, as disturbing as that may be, another famous Lancaster County resident is General Johann August Sutter who lived in the nearby town of Lititz, Pennsylvania for the final 10 years of his life.  In the center of town is an Inn named after him.  In the courtyard of the Inn sits a beautifully carved 8 foot tall figure of Sutter.  

John Sutter

John was a Swiss pioneer who found his way to California in the mid-1800s and established Sutter's Fort in 1841 in an area that eventually became Sacramento, the state's capital.  He discovered gold on his land which brought disaster to him.  He tried to keep the gold a secret, but the news leaked and his land was overrun with prospectors.  His property was finally ruined and by 1852 he was bankrupt.  He was awarded a monthly pension by the government, but the following year arsonists destroyed his home.  By 1871 he had settled in Lititz, Pennsylvania, while continuing to travel to Washington D.C. to try and get money back from the government for his losses in California.  

General Sutter Inn will be renamed shortly.

While in California he enslaved Native Americans of the Miwook and Maidu tribes and Hawaians he had brought from their home island.  He also had Native Americans that were placed into slavery.  His slaves were kept "strictly under fear" in order to serve their white landowner.  The Native Americans slept on bare floors in locked rooms without sanitation, and ate from troughs made from hollowed tree trunks.  In 1846 he held 600 to 800 Indians in a complete state of Slavery.  My guess is that when he ended up in Lititz, no one knew the real John Sutter.  Eventually the Lititz Spring Hotel was remanded the General Sutter Inn.  That was until a few days ago when the owner of the General Sutter Inn removed the large statue and will more than likely change the name back to the Lititz Spring Hotel.  Sutter died 140 yers ago and his remains are nearby in the Lititz Moravian Cemetery.  Due to the work of many who are part of the "Black Lives Matter" Organization, former residents of the United States with a questionable history are being uncovered and history is not being kind to them. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The wooden statue of Gen. Sutter that was recently removed.