3 Accused Of Vandalizing Columbus Statue In Providence

PROVIDENCE, RI — Three people are accused of vandalizing the Christopher Columbus statue in Providence. Following incidents of vandalism and destruction of similar statues in Boston and around the country, Providence's statue was covered in plywood and fenced in.

Officers arrested Mackenzie Innis, 26; Charlotte Whittingham, 28; and Derrick Garforth, 34. They were charged with desecration of a monument and conspiracy.

Around 11 p.m. Saturday, Providence police officers were stationed in an unmarked cruiser at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Reservoir Avenue, watching the statue. Just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday, a driver in gray Honda Accord with Massachusetts plates rolled by with the car's lights off, turning left onto Atlantic Avenue, police said.

A little while later, the same driver was spotted again, this time on Elmwood Avenue, with the car's lights still off, police said. The officers reported seeing two people, a man and a woman, heading towards Columbus Square with their hands full. At the fence, the pair "launch[ed] these unknown objects towards the statue and surrounding ares," police said.

Upon closer investigation, the officers reported paint splattered on the boards. The two people ran across Elmwood Avenue, heading towards Lexington Avenue, then across the back lot of the Feinstein School towards Ontario Street, police said. Officers caught up with them and they were arrested.

The pair were identified as Garforth and Whittingham. They were taken to Providence police headquarters. Police then saw the driver in Honda Accord on Ontario Street. Officers stopped the driver, identified as Innis, and arrested her. Inside the car, police saw an open container of white paint, rubber gloves and masks, as well as purple paint that matched that of the paint splattered at the statue, police said.

This is not the first time Providence's Columbus statue was vandalized. Last year, it was splashed with red paint on Columbus Day and again in November. Boston's statue, meanwhile, was beheaded Wednesday and subsequently removed.

Last week, Gov. Gina Raimondo said removing the statue is worth a discussion, acknowledging that although it is culturally important for many Italian Americans in the state, it is offensive to many others.