Forget William Penn. Let’s Finally Rip Down This Philadelphia Monument

A Christopher Columbus monument in Philadelphia, where everybody freaked out about a William Penn statue (photo courtesy of Delaware River Waterfront Corporation)

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Forget the William Penn Statue. Let’s Finally Rip Down This Christopher Columbus Monument.

OMG. Those commie pinkos in lawless Philadelphia are trying to erase William Penn from history! That was precisely the rhetoric that went down on Monday after word got out that the National Park Service planned to remove a William Penn statue from Welcome Park, an unimpressive plaza on 2nd Street in Old City that was built in 1982.

The National Park Service announced the plan on Friday, with a 14-day period for public comment opening on Monday. And boy, did the public comment! Fox News had a field day. Social media exploded. People went absolutely nuts. And it wasn’t just conservatives who tsk-tsk’d the idea: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro actually intervened with the Biden administration to keep the William Penn statue right where it is.

Before the day’s end, the National Park Service announced that it had withdrawn the plan. It wouldn’t ditch the William Penn statue. Not just that: Officials said the proposal it released on Friday was actually a “preliminary draft” that was “released prematurely.” If that doesn’t sound like some good old-fashioned bureaucratic ass-covering, I don’t know what does.

Here’s the thing. Nobody really knew this particular William Penn statue existed until the National Park Service said it would exist no more. The statue isn’t even an original work of art. It’s a tiny version of Philadelphia’s only actually famous tribute to William Penn — the William Penn statue that sits atop City Hall. The people who built Welcome Park didn’t even install a new work to fete the founder of Pennsylvania. They put in a replica.

So, cool. The William Penn statue will remain. And all of Philadelphia will go on ignoring it.

But this entire controversy reminded me of another statue in Philadelphia. A Christopher Columbus monument. No, not the one in South Philadelphia that had armed men “guarding” it in 2020 amid the unrest in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. That Christopher Columbus statue has been in Philadelphia since the 1800s. It’s historic. It has clear artistic value, no matter how murderous and vile the subject matter.

The Christopher Columbus monument that sits on the Delaware River waterfront is an entirely different story. It’s relatively new, having only popped up in 1992. It’s been controversial from the start. And whatever your political point of view and whatever version of history you follow, I think we can all agree that the thing is downright ugly. Ghastly. Poorly conceived from the start. The monument sticks out like a 106-foot-tall sore thumb that you can see from New Jersey. It may just be the worst piece of public art in Philadelphia.

More recent talk of removing the monument fizzled out in 2021 after lawyer George Bochetto, who seems to reckon himself a civic hero, sued the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, which owns the land on which the monument sits. But that was then. This is now. New mayor and whatnot. One can dream.

Speaking of Public Outcry

The historically nonpartisan Pennsylvania politics website PoliticsPA just announced a “strategic partnership” with the thoroughly conservative Philadelphia media outlet Broad & Liberty. And it turns out that some people aren’t too fond of this idea.

Here Comes the Rain … Again

Wind. Rain. Flood watches. Coastal warnings. I’m just glad I got my grocery-shopping done yesterday. But seriously: Be careful out there!

Jeff Yass Lost Money!

But don’t feel too bad for him. According to yet another Forbes list of super-wealthy people, the controversial founder of Bala Cynwyd’s Susquehanna International Group is now only worth $28.9 billion. That’s down from $30 billion two years ago. Meanwhile, the Eagles may be losers, but team owner Jeffrey Lurie saw his net worth increase since 2022. Granted, only by $200 million, from $4.4 billion to $4.6 billion. But still.

Reader Mail

Yesterday, I told you about the plan to remove 34 trash cans from South Street, a plan that had some residents of the area scratching their heads. The neighborhood group responsible for the decision (South Street Headhouse District) blamed the fact that area residents use the cans for their household trash, which is, of course, not the intended use.

WXPN DJ Robert Drake weighed in with this:

Sadly, this issue is impossible to fix since the neighbors who abuse the cans with short dumping their personal trash will always happen. The District shouldn’t have to pay to get rid of people’s household trash. Makes no sense. There’s been meetings and discussions about this issue going back to when I was vice-chairman of the South Street Headhouse District – and probably even before!

Reader Stacy Papa had this to say:

If this city ever wants to shake off its Philthadelphia stigma, it will need to have trash pickup twice a week like NYC. And we will need sooooo many more corner trash cans, also similar to NYC! I HATE how trashed our city looks! I have lived in Baltimore and New York. And both are so much cleaner.

And finally, veteran Philly Mag scribe Lisa DePaulo offered this:

I always thought trash cans were removed in big cities when they became places to put bombs. But then were never replaced when the bomb threats subsided. In my neighborhood (around Broad and Washington) I have never seen a trash can. And we need them!

Local Talent

I’m not sure how I missed this yesterday, other than that I had an immense amount of Golden Globes fatigue. But big congrats are in order for Philly born-and-raised actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph with her Golden Globe (Getty Images)

She deservedly took home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her work in The Holdovers. You can stream the movie on Peacock. Oscar nominations are due out later this month, and the smart money has Da’Vine winning one.

By the Numbers

800: Deficit of Philadelphia police officers. That’s a lot of cops! If you’re interested, the starting salary is over $61,000, plus a $2,000 signing bonus.

46.8 percent: Massive drop in sugared beverage sales in Philadelphia, according to a study of five cities that implemented a so-called soda tax. Philly had the biggest decline of the five cities.

15 cents: Amount you’d have to pay in Philadelphia for a single-use bag at local stores if Mayor Kenney had signed the measure into law before leaving office. He didn’t.

And from the Blue Monday Sports Desk …

Oooh, girl, Philly is pissed at the Eagles! I guess that’s the downside of having such a devoted (read: rabid) fan base. Man, when you’ve lost Merrill Reese …

This was so hard to take. I hate to do a broadcast full of negatives about the Birds but there were no silver linings to point out in this one. Yes the backups played with heart in the second half but by then it was over. I’ll fill my glass halfway and hope for the best in Tampa.

— Merrill Reese (@mreeseeagles) January 8, 2024

Well, now we know where we stand: We play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Monday night at 8 p.m. in the NFL Wild Card round. We’re a very slight (2.5 points) favorite in the betting world … so far. We went 11-6 in our supremely unsatisfying season, good for only fifth seed; they went 9-8 and are the fourth seed. On the injury front, there’s good news …

Can confirm #Eagles QB Jalen Hurts' X-Rays this morning showed no signs of a fracture in the middle finger of his throwing hand, according to a league source.@TomPelissero had it first.

— EJ Smith (@EJSmith94) January 8, 2024

And there’s very, very crappy news.

Sydney Brown via Instagram pens a heartfelt note after he sustained what is suspected to be a torn ACL against the Giants last night. pic.twitter.com/39LaYAjvkp

— Olivia Reiner (@ReinerOlivia) January 8, 2024

You know how to ensure that the entire city forgives you for that utterly miserable show you put on against the Giants, guys? Just win your next game. That’s an upside: We don’t hold grudges. We can’t focus that long.

How About the Sixers?

They don’t play again until Wednesday in Atlanta, vs. the Hawks. The Big Guy didn’t practice yesterday. The number of games he can miss through the rest of the regular season and still be eligible for MVP is down to eight.

Any College Hoops News?

Nope. But in the College Football Playoff Championship game, there was no stopping top-ranked Michigan in its battle with Washington; the Wolverines led 14-3 by the close of the first quarter. The Huskies did get something going toward the end of the first half with a 61-yard drive, a pass-interference call at the five-yard-line, and then a TD catch: 17-10 at the half. A Michigan field goal brought it to 20-10 in the third, but Washington promptly answered back: 20-13. Halfway through the fourth, Michigan ran for another TD and then got a lucky doink on the PA: 27-13.

The Huskies had their chances late in the quarter, but not even highly regarded QB Michael Penix Jr. could get it done. He was intercepted with four-plus minutes to go, and defensive back Michael Sainristil ran it back 81 yards to the seven: Tack on one last TD for the Wolverines. Final: 34-13. A worthy contest.

The Flyers also played. Oh, and they traded top prospect Cutter Gauthier, who didn’t like us. Maybe he knows too many Eagles fans. Or maybe he kept getting confused with Councilmember Jamie Gauthier?

All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.