SPOKANE, Wash – A years-long discussion about what to do with a statue in downtown Spokane could end at Monday night’s city council meeting, as council members vote on the removal of the John R. Monaghan statue.
The statue was placed at Riverside and Monroe in 1906, honoring one of Spokane’s earliest pioneers.
The Spokane Historical Society says Monaghan was one of the first students to attend Gonzaga University. He joined the Navy and was involved in the conquest of Samoa in1899.
The statue says “he died in the heroic performance of duty” and that he was a “brave man against a score of savages.”
Several years ago, activists began questioning whether the city should honor someone involved in what is now seen as an act of colonization. The initiative was supported by Pacific Islander groups in Spokane and the Spokane Human Rights Commission.
The Spokesman-Review says the Monaghan family has given their blessing for the statue to be removed and could end up at Fairmount Memorial.
The Spokane City Council will vote on the removal Monday.
The resolution supporting the removal cites pedestrian and bicycle improvements in the area as the catalyst for removal, saying a project to reconfigure the intersection requires the statue to be removed.
It also says “the language used in dedicating the monument no longer reflects the values and beliefs of the present day.”
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