In downtown New London CT there is a statue of Christopher Columbus. It has been there for many years, but it is time for it to be taken down. Columbus never stepped foot in North America, and he represented a time in which Native people were exploited for the benefit of European powers. Our city is one of the most diverse in Connecticut with many different races and ethnicities living side by side. This statue is showing them that we condone this racist man. We should not have a statue of this man in our town, he represents nothing positive for us. Instead, we should have a statue of the African captives that led the revolt on La Amistad in 1839. The ship, once taken over by the slaves, sailed up the East Coast until the American Navy brought it into New London to dock. A court trial proceeded to happen on whether they should be set free or killed for their revolt against the crew. This was the first U.S. Supreme Court case that set African captives free. It is very important to our town history and to history in general. This is a revolt that should be taught everywhere, and we should represent as a town we do not condone racism and are proud of this revolution.