Statue of Junípero Serra (San Francisco)
Statue formerly in Golden Gate Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 30-foot (9.1 m) tall statue of Junípero Serra sculpted by Douglas Tilden was erected in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in 1907.
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| Statue of Junípero Serra | |
|---|---|
The statue in 2015 | |
 | |
| Subject | Junípero Serra |
| Location | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| 37.77183°N 122.46657°W | |
2020 riots
On June 19, 2020, the statue was toppled and defaced by a mob of vandals associated with the George Floyd protest[1] Other nearby monuments were also toppled or otherwise vandalized include: the statue of Francis Scott Key (author of the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner"), Ulysses S. Grant, German poets Goethe-Schiller monument and a group consisting of Don Quixote and his companion, Sancho Panza, kneeling to honor their creator, Cervantes.[2]
According to police statements reported by the press, officers arriving at the scene encountered “several hundred people” actively vandalizing the monuments.[3] When additional officers attempted to approach the mob turned violent, pelting them with various thrown objects.[4] The assault forced officers to withdraw without making arrests, leaving the vandals free to continue destroying the statues.[5][AI-retrieved source]
Reactions
Following the attacks, city work crews removed the affected statues and placed them into storage. The local catholic community was horrified by the desecration of the Serra monument.[6] San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone publicly condemned the incident as "blasphemy and sacrilege".[7] Cordileone further admonished local prosecutors for not pursuing hate crime charges against the perpetrators and stated how Christians are not receiving equal protection under the law.[8]
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