State legislators looking to replace Fremont's iconic Lenin statue - My Ballard

A group of lawmakers would like to see Fremont’s Vladimir Lenin statue replaced.

The group, consisting of 14 Republicans, are suggesting a work group to find a replacement for the statue, which has stood in its place since 1996.

“Monuments are often created to reinforce and elevate particular narratives and so it is imperative that the state of Washington and the nation continue to engage in revisiting the historical figures of our state and the nation,” the bill reads.

“The legislature finds that under rigorous, objective review Vladimir Lenin does not meet the standards of being one of our state’s top honorees with a statue display in Seattle.”

The bill goes on to list Lenin’s role in the Red Terror and human rights violations.

This isn’t the first time it’s been suggested for removal. In 2017, former Seattle mayor Ed Murray said that the city “should remove all these symbols” that represent hate, racism and violence, including “both confederate memorials and statues idolizing the founder of the authoritarian soviet regime.”

Lenin came to Fremont under an unusual set of circumstances. The cast-bronze sculpture of Lenin was created by Emil Venkov. According to the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, the 7-ton, 16-foot-tall statue was sculpted over the course of 10 years. “It is believed to be the only representation portraying Lenin surrounded by guns and flames instead of holding a book or waving his hat. The sculptor was able to express his vision of Lenin as a violent revolutionary,” the Chamber’s website reads.

As the story goes, an American veteran, Lewis Carpenter, found the sculpture lying face-down after it was topped in the 1989 Revolution. Carpenter then brought it to Fremont in 1996. Carpenter died several years ago, and the statue has been positioned prominently along N 36th St. “temporarily for viewing and sale.” The price tag is $250,000.

“This sculpture is placed here in the Artist’s Republic of Fremont, as a symbol of an artistic spirit that outlasts regimes and ideologies, and as tangible proof that art does outlive politics,” the Fremont Chamber of Commerce writes. “The Fremont Chamber of Commerce supports art as expressive freedom and a means of preserving and remembering history. We have no connection to the statue or any way of contacting the owners. It is on private land and privately owned.”

The work group suggested in the bill would include the director of the Washington Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation, the director of the Washington State Historical Society, members of Washington state legislature, Mayor Jenny Durkan, and a few public representatives who would be selected by Governor Jay Inslee.

The bill is currently in committee in the State House.

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https://www.myballard.com/2019/02/26/state-legislators-looking-to-replace-fremonts-iconic-lenin-statue/

2019-02-26 17:49:00Z
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