WCCO Radio: The Govt Never Had a Process for Removing the Columbus Statue.

Listen to Jack’s Interview on WCCO Radio taken on June 26th.

According to an article on WCCO Radio published June 26, 2020:

“On June 9th, a group of protestors tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus on the State Captitol grounds.  The group, organized by Mike Forcia, a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, called the statue a symbol of genocide. Protesters also called for justice for George Floyd.

The group was not impeded by any security on the grounds, and there were no arrests.  Forcia described the scene as  "very, very peaceful."

Forcia told WCCO's Dave Lee he had turned himself in after the protest that lead to the statue coming down.  Forcia was not held or charged.  At this time, there have not been any charges filed against Forcia or any of the other protesters. 

RELATED: Protesters tear down Columbus statue at the State Capitol. 

Governor Walz released a statement shortly after it being torn down, saying that protesters should have followed a formal process to have the statue removed. “While that process was too long for those who were pained by the statue’s presence, that is not an excuse for them to take matters into their own hands ... . Even in pain, we must work together to make change, lawfully,” Walz said.

Attorney Jack Rice represents Forcia, and he spoke to WCCO Radio News Friday about a potential criminal case, and the fact that there was never a formal process to remove statues.

"The real question right now is what exactly the Ramsey County attorney's office is going to do, whether or not charges are going to come and what those charges will be," said Rice. "It's my understanding the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is still investigating, but I'm guessing that that's going to be coming to an end pretty quickly now."  

Rice, who was an employee of WCCO Radio and a talk show host from 2004-2009, also said it came as news to him when the state admitted there was no formal process to removing a statue.

"It's actually very frustrating because what I have been hearing from the beginning is if you wanted to take the statute down, do what you're supposed to do, follow the process, take the necessary steps and make it happen," Rice told WCCO. "The problem that we have now is that the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board are the ones who are ultimately responsible for this. And this is actually chaired by the Lieutenant Governor, and they came out yesterday and acknowledged that there is no process, nor has there ever been a process to remove a monument from the grounds of the state Capitol."

Forcia told WCCO that they've been working for years to remove the Columbus statue. "About two years ago, we were there, maybe three," said Forcia. "And they said that the Capitol grounds has their own department and they're the ones who decide on statues in the monument. So we started that process just like it was done before." 

Rice, who sat in on the board meeting Thursday afternoon, said that despite being told to go through proper channels, there was no actual means to remove a statue or monument.

"So in other words, there is no way to do this." Rice says. "And I think what's frustrating from my perspective is that this is something that the Native American community has been trying to do for decades. And nobody has made this possible. Now, if they had bothered to have a process, you think they wouldn't have gone through that? If they had had a process, would we even be here, would this even have happened? And that really is my problem." 

Lt. Governor Flanagan stated in the board meeting Thursday, "Our work will be done when there is a clear and accesible process for Minnesotans to be seen, and heard, and valued, when Minnesotans don't feel that tearing down a statue is their only opportunity for change."

Rice also says that Native Americans should have been invited to discuss their issues at the state level.  

"There were a lot of people in the state of Minnesota who were never invited to the table. They were never invited to speak about what mattered to them. And we're starting to all recognize that I'm hesitant to bring politicians into the room because sometimes they're driven by different things."

Damage from the statue getting torn down is estimated at over $150,000.  There has also been a lot of political pressure on Ramsey County Attorney John Choi to come up with charges, according to Rice.

"There are those who absolutely want to see a prosecution and their argument seems to be that you can't just go pull down anything that you want whenever you want," Rice told us. "And I do understand the argument that's made when it comes to that issue, but I think there's a lot of other issues that need to be addressed here too. And so I do expect charges."

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka is one who has been vocal in saying charges should be filed, adding "We are not letting a mob come and tear things down."