SAN ANTONIO — Editor's note: The above video was originally published on July 1.
Thursday, City Council unanimously voted to approve the removal of the Christopher Columbus statue from Columbus Park as well as the park's renaming to Piazza Italia Park.
On June 18, Councilman Robert Treviño filed a request asking for the statue's removal and for the park to be renamed. Several other councilmembers signed onto the request, and the Christopher Columbus Italian Society said it would accept the statue back that it originally donated to the city.
In the days following City Council's action, the statue was defaced with red paint amid national protests that decried statues of Columbus and Confederate leaders as racist monuments.
On June 30, City Council announced they would vote on removing the statue, as well as renaming the park.
The following day, the Columbus statue was removed from its pedestal in downtown San Antonio at the request of the Christopher Columbus Italian Society in order to avoid further damage.
Following Thursday's action, District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry said his vote on the issue was to support the wishes of the Christopher Columbus Italian Society.
“While I am not typically a supporter of removing monuments and statues, the Christopher Columbus Italian Society has requested that their property be returned and are supporting the renaming of the park, Perry said. "Today, I voted to support their wishes to have their property returned and to protect the monument from further vandalism.
"Thank you to Christopher Columbus Italian Society for their work to strengthen the community in this time. We admire their leadership in honoring the contributions of Italian Americans here in San Antonio.”
A plaque honoring the Italian neighborhood that once defined the are will be installed inside Piazza Italia Park, Treviño's request said.