So which is it, willful ignorance, racism or just pandering to racists?

According to MPR, as the Ramsey County Attorney continues to contemplate criminal charges, there are those in the Minnesota State Senate who are already seeing this as an opportunity to pander their racist base. “Republicans say they want Columbus restored to the Capitol grounds to send a message that unlawful removal of that monument or others won’t be permitted.”

My client is one of those who may face charges for allegedly pulling down the statue of Christopher Columbus on the Mall in front of the Capitol in St. Paul and I struggle to understand. Columbus was a genocidal sex trafficker of little girls. This is confirmed. This is a simple and verifiable truth. And yet, there are politicians in the Capitol right now in St Paul who know this and still would prefer to have this false representation stand. They either are so desperate to maintain the lie they were told as kids that Columbus was the discoverer of America and some mythical hero or because they don’t care that he was a murderer who handed out little girls to his sailors for their amusement.

This is monstrous and that the law would assert itself and prosecute these people to prop up this monstrous misrepresentation that spits in the face of every American of every race is even more horrifying still. James Baldwin once said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” It certainly rings true.

Is this really the America we aspire to be? Please tell me it is not.