ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) — The statue of General Philip Schuyler that stood in front of Albany City Hall for nearly a century is gone. The city moved it to storage early Saturday morning—which was about much more than what first meets the eye.
“We’re happy that the statue has finally come down,” said Dr. Alice Green, Executive Director of the Center for Law and Justice. “I don’t know what they’re going to do with it, but at least it’s not in a public space.”
Green has been pushing city leaders to take down the statue for years. She said it was a constant reminder of what General Schuyler did to her ancestors.
“He robbed them of their humanity, their dignity, and their labor,” said Green. “Labor that brought him money.”
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan told WTEN she’s working to form a monuments commission, so people like Green can be heard. “I think it’s an opportunity to get more public input and have a process around what we do on city-owned property going forward,” said Mayor Sheehan.
Green said she hopes the statue can find a new home. “I’m certainly in favor of any private operation taking the statue and using it as they see fit,” she remarked. “I have no problems with that.”
Private operations, like the Saratoga National Historical Park. Schuylerville Mayor Dan Carpenter said he’d happily bring them the statue.
“By no way am I condoning the fact that General Schuyler owned slaves,” said Carpenter. “It was a disgusting practice back then, however within the historical contexts of the village, the Schuyler house we have here, I do feel it would be appropriate to bring it up here.”
But he’ll have to wait, for now. It is unclear how long the statue will remain in storage.