Houston City Council vote could change access to Confederate, slavery-related statues

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The City of Houston is looking to completely cut ties with three recently-removed statues associated with slavery or the Confederacy.

A statue known as "The Spirit of the Confederacy," which was in Sam Houston Park; a statue of Dick Dowling, which was near Hermann Park; and a statue of Christopher Columbus, which was in Bell Park, have all been removed, but are still under the ownership of the city.

In a move it refers to as "deaccessing," the city council will vote on Wednesday whether to completely remove the statues from the city's civic art collection and transfer the ownership and responsibilities of each one to an outside organization or individual.

"For far too long, there's been a disconnect, especially here in the South, between the evils of slavery and the glorification of the South," District C Councilwoman Abbie Kamin said. "We grew up in schools, for example, with mascots like the 'rebels,' and we have to make sure we're responsibly teaching our history and recognizing the pain and suffering that fill our libraries."

The vote will not end with any of the statues being destroyed.

The Spirit of the Confederacy has been at the Houston Museum of African American Culture since August 2020, and they'll receive full ownership of the piece should the vote pass.

The Christopher Columbus statue was given back to its artist upon removal, and he'd receive full ownership of the work under this scenario.

There has been no plan determined for the Dowling statue, which currently sits in a Houston Parks and Recreation facility on Wheeler Avenue.

"The city is wiping its hands clean, so that no further tax dollars are used, while ensuring future generations can still learn about cruel and inhumane parts of our history," Kamin said.

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