A group of lawmakers would like to see Fremont’s Vladimir Lenin statue replaced.
The group, consisting of 14 Republicans, are suggesting a work group to find a replacement for the statue, which has stood in its place since 1996.
“Monuments are often created to reinforce and elevate particular narratives and so it is imperative that the state of Washington and the nation continue to engage in revisiting the historical figures of our state and the nation,” the bill reads.
“The legislature finds that under rigorous, objective review Vladimir Lenin does not meet the standards of being one of our state’s top honorees with a statue display in Seattle.”
The bill goes on to list Lenin’s role in the Red Terror and human rights violations.
This isn’t the first time it’s been suggested for removal. In 2017, former Seattle mayor Ed Murray said that the city “should remove all these symbols” that represent hate, racism and violence, including “both confederate memorials and statues idolizing the founder of the authoritarian soviet regime.”
Lenin came to Fremont under an unusual set of circumstances. The cast-bronze sculpture of Lenin was created by Emil Venkov. According to the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, the 7-ton, 16-foot-tall statue was sculpted over the course of 10 years. “It is believed to be the only representation portraying Lenin surrounded by guns and flames instead of holding a book or waving his hat. The sculptor was able to express his vision of Lenin as a violent revolutionary,” the Chamber’s website reads.
As the story goes, an American veteran, Lewis Carpenter, found the sculpture lying face-down after it was topped in the 1989 Revolution. Carpenter then brought it to Fremont in 1996. Carpenter died several years ago, and the statue has been positioned prominently along N 36th St. “temporarily for viewing and sale.” The price tag is $250,000.
“This sculpture is placed here in the Artist’s Republic of Fremont, as a symbol of an artistic spirit that outlasts regimes and ideologies, and as tangible proof that art does outlive politics,” the Fremont Chamber of Commerce writes. “The Fremont Chamber of Commerce supports art as expressive freedom and a means of preserving and remembering history. We have no connection to the statue or any way of contacting the owners. It is on private land and privately owned.”
The work group suggested in the bill would include the director of the Washington Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation, the director of the Washington State Historical Society, members of Washington state legislature, Mayor Jenny Durkan, and a few public representatives who would be selected by Governor Jay Inslee.
The bill is currently in committee in the State House.
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I’m looking forward to watching self-described small government types cheer on the creation of a state-funded “working group” committee to make “non-binding recommendations” about a piece of private property because they think it’s politically incorrect and got offended.
I don’t know why you’d think small government types would be cheering this on – I definitely am not. I do think it is funny that the liberals here bought the statue from my old country where the people there did not want it. The people here seem to think that Communism is so great but they have not lived under that system.
Radegast, perhaps you lived under communism and it stunted the development of your sense of humor.
troll
Great idea! After this, maybe you can all work on this little homeless problem!
Leave it to the Republicans to try to legislate private property on private lands and lady parts. They need to stick to issues that really matter and stop wasting the salary we are paying them.
Nobody can stop you from doing whatever you want. Marry your cat. You decided to die on the hill of abortion, Shariah, and trans athletes. BRILLIANT
Bucky, you can find help if you call 206-452-6009. Your mental pain doesn’t have to continue tormenting you.
I hope Republicans understand that this will open the floodgates to remove any religious displays, as many religions don’t have an exactly peaceful past, on private property. Take down Lenin and you could potentially take down Christmas trees and Christmas lights….and watch out Easter bunnies.
Luckily for Republicans, the Republican attempt at taking away private property rights will fail in any court (outside of Russia), even in a “progressive” state controlled by democrats.
I hope Republicans understand that this will open the floodgates to remove any religious displays, as many religions don’t have an exactly peaceful past, on private property. Take down Lenin and you could potentially take down Christmas trees and Christmas lights….and watch out Easter bunnies.
Luckily for Republicans, the Republican attempt at taking away private property rights will fail in any court (outside of Russia), even in a “progressive” state controlled by democrats.
This right here. While I don’t care for the Lenin statue, it’s well within the private property owner’s rights to keep it there. I remember some people tried to compare this to the Confederate Monument controversy, but those were publicly owned monuments on publicly owned space and not relevant in any way.
The bill will not make it out of committee and I think the GOP knows that. They seem to be trying to make a statement, but the statement is a headscratcher.
Instead of this clearly unconstitutional bill, why don’t they do something like a symbolic vote condemning the statue? Or even better, solicit private funds to purchase the stupid thing and melt it down; it’s been on sale forever.
LOL, forming a workgroup = unconstitutional.
Well, you’re not wrong.
The bill says that the work group will spend six-ish months touring the state to come up with a non-binding, recommended replacement statue. It will then “request” the Lenin statue be replaced by the recommended statue. The bill doesn’t say anything about to whom the request will be sent or what happens if the request is denied.
So either the bill is completely worthless or it’s unconstitutional. Either way, why does this bill exist?
Ok, it’s funny how you can’t ever just admit you are wrong. You just shifted from “clearly unconstitutional bill” to “either the bill is completely worthless or it’s unconstitutional.” The Trump is strong with you.
Please indicate which part of the bill makes it “clearly unconstitutional”
Didn’t my post just admit that? Do you want me to hire a plane to write in the sky “ELENCHOS2 WAS RIGHT FOR ONCE”?
But before you get too excited, your post of “Although your statement of “LOL, forming a workgroup = unconstitutional.” had nothing to do with my original comment (I didn’t mention anything about the workgroup), but it did cause me to rethink my “clearly unconstitutional” comment.
Meanwhile, 99.99% of your posts are blatantly false and I’m struggling to remember a time admitted you were wrong and ate crow.
But hey, you got to play the victim again, which is one of your end goals of almost everyone of your posts, right?
Please indicate which part of the bill makes it “clearly unconstitutional”
I would argue that the state “requesting” a private owner remove a privately owned statue on private property is potentially in violation of the First Amendment. But I also admitted that they did not clarify what happens if the owner tells the state to take a hike, which would take it from “clearly unconstitutional” to “potentially unconstitutional”.
So basically your entire original comment was an incredible overreaction because you didn’t bother to pay attention.
Incredible overreaction? So you think this potentially unconstitutional bill is good?
ah, i found the source of your misery. you got triggered so heavily by this, you decided to use that phrase in nearly every comment of yours on every article. get a life pal.
Lest we forget:
There was a great Marxist called Lenin
Who did two or three million men in.
That’s a lot to have done in,
But where he did one in,
That grand Marxist Stalin did ten in!
— Robert Conquest
The ‘blood’ (red paint) added to Lenin’s hands years ago makes the statue relevant. Hopefully young people will ask why the hands are red, and learn about the violence of the USSR. If the confederate monuments had ‘blood’ added to their hands, encouraging questions about the violence of the confederacy, that would change and correct their message.
“violence of the confederacy” lol
The Lenin statue is analogous to the Confederate ones. It was one among thousands which USSR Russians deployed throughout their empire, just as the Jim Crow statuary helped to keep Blacks “in their place.” Now it’s a dated relic but a teachable one.
The blood-red hand was added by random grass roots folks long after the statue arrived in Fremont. For years the “blood” was cleaned, now it stays. That helps but more education about the USSR and its Evil Empire is needed.
Look this is not a hard problem, but this is not the right way to solve it – IF you actually care about getting a result. Legislation isn’t appropriate or needed, this is just grandstanding and chest-thumping.
If you’re serious, it’s not complicated or hard: it’s a privately-owned statue on private property and it’s for sale for $250k. If it bothers you that much, go ahead and do a kickstarter and buy it. Then donate it to MOHAI. They’re just 2 miles away, I bet you could get it moved there pretty cheap. Maybe even by barge!
Do that or sit down.
And ya know what? For people who want to keep the statue in Fremont, y’all can do a kickstarter to buy it and keep it there. Whoever raises $250k first and buys it, wins. The market determines Lenin’s fate. Go!
Communism is EVIL but this statue is about the only thing honest about Seattle 2019.