Folks, brace yourselves for another chapter in the never-ending saga of political correctness gone wild! On Tuesday night, Mayor Brandon Johnson did a complete 180 on his decision to remove a statue of George Washington from outside his office at City Hall. Just hours after announcing plans to take down the statue, the Johnson administration pulled the plug on that bright idea.
Earlier in the day, Ronnie Reese, Johnson’s communications director, declared that the statue would be “removed from the hallway outside the mayor’s office as we make updates to some areas around City Hall.”
Cue the outrage from Alderman Nick Sposato, who rightly pointed out the absurdity of erasing historical figures like George Washington. “When does this stop — the redoing everything and eliminating everything? I just don’t get it,” Sposato fumed. “He’s George Washington. He risked everything. We are who we are because of this man.”
But lo and behold, by 8 p.m., the statue was saved. Sposato got a call from senior mayoral adviser Jason Lee confirming that the statue would stay put. “Maybe they were going to do it, read your story, and figured they had better not. Maybe it was my own tough comments that convinced them to change their mind. Either way, the Washington statue stays,” Sposato said triumphantly.
The statue has stood proudly since July 4, 1984, but Reese’s earlier comments about “freshening up the space” were a flimsy cover for what smelled like a politically motivated move. Reese even had the audacity to claim that the decision wasn’t related to Washington owning slaves.
He floated the idea of celebrating other Chicago icons like Ida B. Wells and Harold Washington or creating a park space dedicated to monuments—a thinly veiled attempt to sideline the statue of one of America’s founding fathers.
Chicago “Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to remove the statue of former President George Washington from the hallway outside the mayor’s office on the fifth floor of City Hall.” His office: “We’re just freshening up the space. Making it a bit more current.” https://t.co/3uNzE9ZmXq
— Ajit Pai (@AjitPai) July 16, 2024
The reversal came after a firestorm of criticism, highlighting just how out of touch this administration can be. In a world where historical figures are constantly reevaluated and canceled, it’s refreshing to see common sense prevail, at least for now. Sposato’s reaction encapsulates the frustration many feel about the relentless push to rewrite history based on contemporary standards.
And let’s not forget the backdrop of this drama: the Chicago Monuments Project. Launched by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, this initiative targeted 41 supposedly problematic statues, including those of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Ulysses S. Grant. Lightfoot’s promise to return the Columbus statues to their pedestals remains unfulfilled, leaving a trail of broken promises and unaddressed recommendations.
Meanwhile, Johnson’s administration plans to use a $6.8 million grant to build eight new public monuments, including one to honor over 100 Black men tortured by Chicago police under former Commander Jon Burge. It seems the focus is more on rewriting and reshaping the narrative than preserving history.
So here we are, with the George Washington statue staying put—for now. But as the winds of political correctness continue to blow, who knows what the next target will be? Stay tuned because this battle over our nation’s historical legacy is far from over.
