Free Republic

It’s not just about Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The national soul-searching over whether to take down monuments to the Confederacy’s demigods has extended to other historical figures accused of wrongdoing, including Christopher Columbus (brutality toward Native Americans), the man for whom Boston’s Faneuil Hall is named (slave trader) and former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo (bigotry). Historians interviewed by The Associated Press offered varying thoughts about where exactly the line should be drawn in judging someone’s statue-worthiness, but they agreed on one thing: Scrapping a monument is not a decision that should be made in haste during political fervor....

PHILADELPHIA - Crews are painting over the Frank Rizzo mural in South Philadelphia early Sunday. The Mural Arts Program, which maintains the mural, says it believes the mural is a 'painful reminder' of the former mayor's legacy... “I was appalled they did it in the middle of the night,” South Philadelphia native George Patti said. “Everyone was proud of Frank. I understand the other side, but even if it was divisive, or stands for something bad, I don’t think we should be erasing...

Here I am a drunk, a sinner, a hater, a racist currently sober and yes the first description of myself leads all the rest. Its no secret what I believe as I've made clear in countless posts but intoxication is the big issue. Drugs, Alcohol And Pornography lay behind the evil violence that kills and destroys and hurts people and property and politicians can't preach that to people. They'll get no votes in this election year for saying that so we get the urinated pablum about "systematic racism" and "white privilege" and the list goes on. Some Philadelphia music in...

uthorities in Philadelphia on Wednesday removed a statue of former Mayor and Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo, days after demonstrators tried to topple the monument. Mayor Jim Kenney ordered city crews to remove the statue from Thomas Paine Plaza, near Philadelphia City Hall, in the early morning hours Wednesday. Demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, a death that has spurred hundreds of peaceful and violent rallies nationwide over the past week, damaged and attempted to set fire to the 10-foot-tall bronze statue last weekend. Rizzo served two terms as Philadelphia mayor in the 1970s after spending three years...

Philadelphia officials removed a statue honoring the late former Mayor Frank Rizzo overnight, a decision the city's current mayor said was meant to acknowledge Rizzo's mistreatment of African-American and LGBT communities during his controversial tenure in office. Rizzo, who served two terms as mayor in the 1970s after three years as the city's police commissioner, left a legacy of racism and homophobia in his wake. In recent days, the statue honoring him in front of city hall had become a target of those protesting police brutality after the murder of George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who killed while in police...

Hundreds of items belonging to legendary 1970s Philly mayor Frank Rizzo are up for grabs on Black Friday, including his monogrammed clock, Rolodex and a signed picture of Nixon The home of the loved and loathed former Philadelphia mayor and police chief Frank Rizzo is for sale Rizzo's estate sale starts Black Friday, November 23, and will feature hundreds of items Items include his billy club, Rolodex, Italian-made furniture and a signed picture of Richard Nixon Aside from trinkets and paperwork from the papal visit in 1976, everything must go

Philadelphia police arrested a 25-year-old Maplewood, N.J. man Wednesday after he was spotted throwing eggs at the Center City statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo. The man, whose name was not immediately released, fled from the scene after egging the statue outside the Municipal Services Building across from City Hall. He was caught and charged with disorderly conduct and criminal mischief, police said. The vandalism was captured by 6ABC cameras on the scene. Authorities did not cite a motive. But particularly in the wake of the deadly Charlottesville protest, the statue has drawn new scrutiny of the former mayor and...

In 1967—an iconic time of “black” riots, burning cities, looting, and political murder—threats of yet another senseless riot were made against Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Once called “the City of Brotherly Love,” Philly had become a hateful playground for violent, black militants, communists, power-pushers, and carpet-baggers from all over the uninformed, disinformed, and mis-led, radical, liberal landscape.

The bronze statue of former police commissioner and mayor Frank Rizzo that stands across from City Hall was buffed and polished ahead of last month's Democratic convention. His son said he wanted his father's shoes, which were often said to reflect like glass, shined for the festivities. But on Friday, two protesters had different plans for the statue. They draped a Ku Klux Klan hood on Rizzo's head, calling the monument a reminder of racial strife and discrimination that must come down. More than a thousand people have agreed with the duo, and have signed a petition calling for the...

Famous "Night-Stick in Cumerbund Shot" Mr. Rizzo was one of those seemingly larger-than-life figures, destined to be hero to some and villain to others. One view was that the former Police Commissioner and two-term Mayor was the last bastion against threats to middle-class residents of the city's row-house neighborhoods. The other view was that Mr. Rizzo was a barely educated former police officer who used a hard line on crime and tactics bordering on the dictatorial to suppress opposition and keep blacks out of middle-class neighborhoods. 'Tough Cop' Image That he was a "tough cop" -- an appellation that particularly...