BALTIMORE — A 40-year-old statue dedicated to Capt. John O’Donnell, an Irish-born merchant who enslaved people on his plantation in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore, was removed Monday night by the city of Baltimore.
“Tonight, the hostile vestige to the notorious enslaver Captain John O’Donnell no longer stands in Canton Square,” Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement.
“This is a historical moment, however, countless publicly named monuments, statues, streets and schools across Baltimore remain that must be reassessed. I am committed to dismantling structural oppression in Baltimore by working with the City Administrator to commission a team to establish procedures for reviewing the impact of these cruel monuments while continuing to promote equitable policies to right yesterday’s wrongs.”
Scott thanked the Canton Anti-Racism Alliance for its persistence and continuous work in “building an inclusive Baltimore.”
An online petition signed by thousands to remove the statue began circulating last fall.
The petition was the latest effort in a widespread reckoning involving monuments that honor people with ties to America’s racist past. It came as the Canton Community Association was studying ways to make the waterfront neighborhood more welcoming and inclusive.
