Watsonville Washington statue to be moved to library
WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) A bust of President George Washington in Watsonville is getting moved across the street to the library after activists pushed for its removal from the city plaza on Main Street.
While there were passionate pleas on both sides, the city council ultimately decided to move it in a 5-2 vote. The bust first rested in its spot in 2001, oblivious that it would the center of much heated discussion 20 years later.
"The statue was a tangible item which could be the center of a debate for a much bigger issue and that issue is racial divide," said Jimmy Dutra, the Watsonville mayor.
Activists like the group Revolunas have long argued Washington's ties to slavery and the oppression of indigenous peoples disqualify him from being honored in a public plaza.
But other residents say as America's first president and a Founding Father to our system of government, he deserves to be recognized and honored despite any flaws.
Yet others still believe the statue should be removed if only to protect it from vandals.
"The monument sometimes does get vandalized and here, I have at times have to clean it," said Jesus Madrigal, a Watsonville resident.
The Washington bust has been spray painted, decorated with bandanas and flowers and more. The mayor says he is really saddened for his community: one group feels like they are losing everything they grew up with, but another younger generation wants to feel heard and to face the past in order to make changes.
"I ultimately had to choose between whether or not we move forward in a community where everyone felt included as well as preserving that bust for an educational setting because that's what George Washington is, he's part of history," said Dutra.
And enough council members felt the library would be the best place to study history, both the positive and the negative.
"Perhaps they can have like even more information like a collection of the history of George Washington," said Madrigal.
The mayor says he is not sure when the statue will be removed. They still need to figure out where to create a new exhibit in the library as well as fix up the area where the statue used to be.
