A number of young protestors gathered outside New Britain City Hall Wednesday evening as city council members gathered inside to vote for the second time on removing the city’s controversial Christopher Columbus Statue. This time their voices went unheard as city council members did not have enough votes to overturn Mayor Erin Stewart’s veto.

City council members previously voted 10-4 to remove the statue back on December 9th. “Us removing the Christopher Columbus monument or voting on it was never about the race, it’s about the representation for the city of New Britain.” Several Republicans joined democrats voting to remove the statue when they made the vote in December, while other republicans stood on the opposite side.