SPOKANE, Wash. — A statue that has been in downtown Spokane for over 100 years may soon be removed due to potentially offensive and racist words appearing on the side of the statue.
The statue depicts John Monaghan of the US Navy during a battle between the United States and Samoa. During the battle, Monaghan lost his life protecting a comrade.
The statue refers to the Samoan people as “The savage foe.”
Tomorrow night, The city council meeting could create a path for this removal. The council is voting to create a process to remove offensive or racist monuments, statues, or landmarks.
The pacific islander community has requested the removal of this statue roughly 6 times, according to the Spokane Human Rights Commission (SHRC), but there is currently no process on how to remove monuments or statues.
Anwar Peace, a chair for the SHRC, said they have spent the last three years trying to create a process to remove the John Monaghan statue in downtown Spokane.
“It is harming the community,” Peace said.
In 2021, a pacific islander community group approached the SHRC and asked if they would consider removing the Monaghan statue.
City councilmember Paul Dillon says the city council voted to remove the statue in August of 2023. However, this was vetoed by then-Mayor Nadine Woodward. Woodward believed the purview of this issue fell under the Landmarks Commission, not the SHRC.
But after the veto, the Landmarks Commission did not feel this was their place to make a decision.
“The Landmarks Commission told us point blank that this should not be under our(the Landmark Commission’s) purview,” Peace said.
Council Member Paul Dillon has now reintroduced an almost identical ordinance and feels it is necessary to have a removal process for potentially offensive landmarks.
“With this ordinance, it would put in the wheels of motion to remove the John Monaghan statue since the Spokane Human Rights Commission has already voted to remove it,” Dillon stated.
It’s a move Peace believes is necessary for the community to move forward.
“Whether it should be front and center in our community, as our gateway to the tourists? No, it shouldn’t be there,” Peace said.
Council Member Dillon said he has received over 2000 signatures in support of the removal or repurposing of this statue and is hopeful that the ordinance will pass this time around.
“There’s not really a current process for it, so it’s really important that we establish one. And then we would work with the new administration department on the next steps; they are supportive of it,” Dillon said.
