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Calls to take down a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Boston's Park Square, between the Park Plaza and the Transportation Building, are growing. The statue of President Lincoln, the Great Empancipator, is depicted with a slave on his knees.
A petition to remove the statue was spearheaded by an African American man from Boston named Tory Bullock who says he's been seeing the statue since he was a kid.
"It says that it's a statue that's supposed to represent freedom. But, to me, it represents submissiveness," Bullock said. "It represents: 'Know your place, because that's where you belong.'"
Bullock says his petition has more than 7,000 signatures and the attention of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who Bullock posted is willing to talk about removing it.
"This is a great opportunity to get some local black artists involved in the creation of (a new) statue, to come up with something new that represents equality," Bullock said. "Right now, I have the momentum and leverage with everything going on in the world, that we can actually make a difference here."
A spokesperson for City Hall said the mayor was in favor of removing the statue and "willing to engage in a dialogue with the community about its future in Boston."