Claiming that the monument glorifies a rapist, slave trader and murderer, an outspoken and impassioned collective of about 75 activists on Sunday called for the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue from the Mesa Junction. The statue is the centerpiece of the Christopher Columbus Piazza, site of the annual Columbus Day celebration in honor of the famous Italian explorer and navigator.

Similar to the protests that have come to mark the holiday’s commemoration, Sunday’s action, which took place under a strong police presence, served as a fiery rallying cry to see the statue taken down: by law or by force. "It’s coming down," a young Black male shouted at a man wearing a hat and shirt with Italian flag motifs. "If I got to do 10 years in prison it will come the (expletive deleted) down. It will come down."