The state of New Jersey has been hit by a major controversy after it recently unveiled a giant statue of George Floyd, weighing around 700 pounds at the Newark City Hall.
This is certainly not the first time that George Floyd’s name surrounds controversy. For instance, in the past, many have seen citizens oppose the unveiling of George Floyd’s murals too.
Therefore, when the City of Newark in New Jersey unveiled the mega statue of the African American man who was murdered in Minneapolis by a former cop named Derek Chauvin, the news turned into a major controversy too.
The large statue of George Floyd is made from bronze and is definitely one of the larger ones out there, weighing a massive 7000 pounds. Moreover, the news hit social media with a bang on Wednesday, after it was unveiled right outside the City Hall.
In the same way, the incident gained major attention after the city and its mayor, Ras J. Baraka put up an image of the statue through social media platforms. And that is where they revealed information about how it had been a donation for Newark by a local artist that goes by the name of Stanley Watts.
As far as the giant structure is concerned, it is being called ‘larger than life’ as it sits upon a huge bench that is present outside of the City Hall. It features George Floyd donning a sleeveless designed vest.
Without a doubt, the announcement was certainly welcomed by some citizens but soon, it turned into a major disappointment and controversial matter for others. Hence, they went about protesting it.
Many felt that it was just unfair to put up George Floyd’s statue, whom they referred to as a black criminal. “He was killed while getting arrested,” another added. And just like that, social media was full of hateful comments from across the board.
Simultaneously, others went on about how tearing down statues of the country’s Founding Fathers appeared to be acceptable to the authorities but a statue of a ‘Black Criminal’ was just not acceptable to them.
What are your thoughts on the new addition to Newark’s City Hall? Do you agree with what others have to say or not?