This photo was taken outside of The Rios Law Firm on the corner of Anderson and Main Street in Hackensack, NJ. The people in this image have no affiliation with the petition.

*Please share this with the people around you and send the copy and paste email at the end!*

Cities across the United States are taking action towards removing the statues and  memorializations of those who discriminated against people based on their skin color and ethnicity, and those who exploited people for slave labor. We are calling on the leaders of the city of Hackensack to show support and solidarity with the groups who have been historically and systemicly oppressed by morally-skewed colonizers. We are urging that the leaders of our communities recognize the crimes that have been committed by Christopher Columbus and honor this murderer no longer. 

Through this petition we are very strongly urging the Hackensack City Council to remove memorializations of Christopher Columbus.

These memorializations are:

1. The statue of Christopher Columbus at Columbus Park must be removed. We want the park renamed in honor of the Indigenous peoples whose lives and land were STOLEN by colonizers, such as Christopher Columbus.

2. The Columbus Day parade on the 2nd Sunday of October be renamed to also honor the Indigenous peoples across the Americas.

3. Columbus Day must no longer be celebrated in Hackensack, NJ. Rename Columbus Day to a name that honors the Indigenous peoples and their culture. Use the renamed holiday and its funding to educate the city on Indigenous history and culture. 

The city of Hackensack, Bergen County, NJ host a park, holiday, and parade that is dedicated to Christopher Columbus, the sailor who colonized and murdered thousands of Indigenous people across the Caribbeans and South America.

He and his crew members exploited the kindness and generosity of the native people, such as the Tainos, by draining them of resources, stripping them of their culture, exploiting them for slave labor, ruthlessly mutilating and torturing them, and ultimately committing mass genocide against them through brutal and cruel methods.

A mass murderer and colonizer who committed thousands of violations and crimes against basic human rights SHOULD NEVER be memorialized with a park, a statue, a parade, or an entire holiday.

We suggest that the public facility of Columbus Park, the parade, and current “holiday” be renamed to Park of the Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Peoples Day Parade, and Indigenous Peoples Day, but strongly recommend that the cities consult with local Indigenous and Black leaders and associations in our community to remove this disgrace from our city. There are many ways to celebrate Italian American culture WITHOUT completely disrespecting Indigenous peoples by blindly idolizing Christopher Columbus. 

*!!!~CONTINUE YOUR VOICE BY CONTACTING THE HACKENSACK CITY COUNCIL BOARD THROUGH EMAILS AND CALLS!   *Please be respectful, but you don't need to downplay the cause!*

<Hackensack City Council Contacts>

• http://www.hackensack.org/content/6819/7779/default.aspx                (city manager)
• http://www.hackensack.org/content/6819/7781/default.aspx                (city clerk)
• http://www.hackensack.org/Council
• rfrontignano@hackensack.org
• Main Number: 201-646-3980

 

Sample Email Template (can be used for calls, but omit the title), you can use this, but it’s more powerful to send a self written email as it will not be caught and deleted by a filter if there is one:

To: (you can’t copy and paste these, but these are the emails that I found that would be most influential.)

rfrontignano@hackensack.org, jlabrosse@hackensack.org, kcanestrino@hackensack.org, dsims@hackensack.org, lbattaglia@hackensack.org, citymanager@hackensack.org, dkarlsson@hackensack.org, asaabye@hackensack.org

Title:

Remove Memorializations of Christopher Columbus; Rename Columbus Park and the Columbus Day Parade to Honor the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas

Body:

Hello,

My name is (your name). I am a resident of (town, state) and I am emailing today to demand that the city of Hackensack remove all memorializations of the mass murderer, Christopher Columbus.

I urge that the city of Hackensack remove the statue of Christopher Columbus at Columbus Park and rename the park in honor of the Indigenous peoples whose lives and land were stolen by colonizers, such as Christopher Columbus.

I urge that the Columbus Day parade on the 2nd Sunday of October be renamed to also honor the Indigenous peoples across the Americas.

I urge that the city of Hackensack no longer continue to celebrate Columbus Day. Rename Columbus Day to a name that honors the Indigenous peoples and their culture. Use the renamed holiday and its funding to educate the city on Indigenous history and culture. 

Cities across the United States are taking action towards removing the statues and memorializations of those who discriminated against people based on their skin color and ethnicity, and those who exploited people for slave labor. I am calling on the leaders of the city of Hackensack to show support and solidarity with the groups who have been historically and systemicly oppressed by morally-skewed colonizers, so I am urging the leaders of Hackensack to recognize the crimes that have been committed by Christopher Columbus and his crew members and honor this murderer no longer. 

Finally, I suggest that the public facility of Columbus Park, the parade, and the current “holiday” be renamed to Park of the Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Peoples Day Parade, and Indigenous Peoples Day, but demand that the cities consult with local Indigenous and Black leaders and associations in our community to remove this disgrace from the city.

Sincerely,                                                                                                                (your name)