WATCH: VIDEO of Former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo bronze sculpture lifted off then driven away in truck overnight. It looks as if he’s waving goodbye @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/hTxH7dqato
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) June 3, 2020
The Frank Rizzo statue was removed from the Municipal Services Plaza overnight. You don't have to be from Philadelphia to understand what this means to Philadelphians. Via the Daily Beast:
Rizzo, who served as police commissioner from 1967 to 1971 and mayor from 1972 to 1980, oversaw a legacy of police brutality in the city and of discrimination against minorities. In 1971, he publicly urged supporters to “Vote White.” NBC Philadelphia reports that a crew arrived just after midnight Wednesday to remove the statue from the steps of the city’s Municipal Services Building. Members of the National Guard reportedly surrounded the area as work began. Shortly before 2 a.m., a truck drove off with the statue. City mayor Jim Kenney posted a photo of the empty spot early Wednesday alongside the caption: “The statue represented bigotry, hatred, and oppression for too many people, for too long. It is finally gone.”
The statue represented bigotry, hatred, and oppression for too many people, for too long. It is finally gone. pic.twitter.com/30f2Skpqog
— Jim #StayHomePHL Kenney (@PhillyMayor) June 3, 2020
Christine Flowers, a former conservative columnist who's frequently ridiculed, will mourn but I don't think that many people will:
We won’t forget. pic.twitter.com/NPYo1sPDRO
— Christine Flowers (@flowerlady61) June 3, 2020
As police commissioner, Frank Rizzo stopped hiring black cops. As mayor, he opposed public school desegregation. He told Philadelphias to "vote white" in his campaign for a third term. About anti-police protests, he once said, "I'll make Attila the Hun look like a faggot" https://t.co/N1oLpSgOeG
— Market Urbanism (@MarketUrbanism) May 31, 2020
Remember famous photo of cops strip-searching Black Panthers after raiding their offices? Frank Rizzo, the Bull Connor of Philly, was Police Commish who led it. #philadelphiaprotest tried to take this Gestapo statue down. That ain’t vandalism, that’s MF’n community service ✊️ pic.twitter.com/M6OxSjRsOK
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) May 31, 2020
Kenney is not even a pimple on the ass of the statue of the great Frank Rizzo.
— Don Hurley (@DonHurley17) June 3, 2020
Believe it or not, back in the day, Andrea Mitchell went head to head with Rizzo all the time -- who famously called her a "two dollar whore":
.@ewarren Frank Rizzo is cut from same cloth as Donald Trump. You have a plan for this and a plan for that. @PhillyMayor has NO PLAN to remove Rizzo monument to racism, sexism, homophobia and exclusion.@mitchellreports @phillyforwarren #BlackVotersMatter https://t.co/dqVpHRdPRd
— Faye M. Anderson (@andersonatlarge) October 23, 2019
After all these years, Frank still serves a useful purpose. When I meet a neighbor who brings up Frank Rizzo in an admiring way, I know we're not going to be friends.
