CHICAGO (NBC) — The Christopher Columbus statue at Chicago’s Grant Park was vandalized Friday night following an evening protest that called for defunding the Chicago Police Department.
Officials say several protesters and police officers appeared to clash near the statue, resulting in pepper spray being deployed.
Officials reported at least four officers were taken to the hospital with injuries. They say protesters appeared to surround the statue and shout things such as “Columbus was a murderer.”
The evening rally, which began at Buckingham Foundation around 5 p.m., was organized by Black Lives Matter Chicago, Chi-Nations Youth Council, Black Youth Project 100, and other groups.
LATEST STORIES:
- 14 men arrested, charged with 541 counts of child porn in Manatee County
- Message in a bottle discovered decades after it floated away
- 12-year-old track star goes viral, gains attention from ESPN
- Despite IRS warning, stimulus checks and debit cards cause confusion
- 2 men hospitalized following shooting in Clearwater
