MEDFORD, MASS. (WHDH) - Medford police are keeping an eye on the homes of local school committee members after a vote to change the name of the Christopher Columbus Elementary School triggered a backlash.
“It’s not really that that’s news its just like here’s where they live – it felt different,” he said.
Because Medford School Committee members’ addresses are public and this is such a divisive decision, everyone is on the defense.
“I got a call from the chief saying he received a call from another member, she was concerned and he would step up patrols,” Paul Ruseau, Medford School Committee Vice Chair, said.
Christopher Columbus’s legacy has been criticized with many characterizing him as a symbol of white supremacy who sparked centuries of European oppression over the Native American population.
Supporters say statues and symbols of Columbus are important aspects of Italian-American heritage.
“That school has been named the Columbus school for 92 years and it was paying homage to the Italian-Americans that lived in that community and really built that community,” Medford resident and business owner Kelly Catalo said.
Catalo said that because the vote took place virtually and was not well-publicized, not everyone got the chance to weigh in.
“If we were able to go to a public meeting, City Hall would have been packed,” she said. “How do you take away somebody’s identity and not give them a say over it?”
The school committee vice-chair said they listened to two hours’ worth of public comment before voting 6-1 to change the name.
“It’s painful for the indigenous people who are still here,” one resident explained at the meeting.
The plan to remove any association to Columbus comes after the beheading of a statue in Boston’s North End and vandalism of another in Worcester.
“As far as heroes go he wouldn’t make it on any list of heroes if you ask me,” Ruseau said.
The name change will not take place until July of 2021 and an advisory committee will be in charge of selecting a new name.
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