- Details
- By Darren Thompson
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — More than two months after the Christopher Columbus statue at the Minnesota State Capitol grounds was toppled, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged one person in the incident on Thursday.
Mike Forcia, an enrolled tribal citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Wisconsin), was charged with criminal damage to property in the first degree, which is a felony crime in Minnesota.
“While charges against other participants remain a possibility, it was clear from the State’s investigation that Mr. Forcia was the primary organizer, leader, and executor of the incident. According to the state, the investigation led to a 13,000 page file on the event,” Ramsey County Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
On June 10, the day the Columbus statue was toppled, Forcia was seen cheering as the statue met pavement, but there is no footage of him pulling the statue down.
“Ramsey County District Attorney’s Office came up with charges today against my client,” Forica’s attorney, Jack Rice, told Native News Online. “It is something that is incredibly personal to Mike and something incredibly personal to me. Any felony charge is a serious charge and can gravely affect a person’s life.”
“This is a story that has affected Native people across the country for more than 500 years,” Rice added.
Rice is an enrolled tribal citizen of the Luiseño Tribe in California with more than two decades of experience practicing law. He’s a former Central Intelligence Agency Special Agent, former prosecutor and an internationally known journalist and television commentator.
At the scene of the toppling on June 10, a group of approximately 50 people pulled the statue down with no resistance from the Minnesota State Patrol while multiple sources streamed live on social media.
The toppling of the statue made national headlines and sparked cities across the United States to remove symbols of oppression and racism in public spaces, including statues of Columbus and Confederate monuments in cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, Richmond, Sacramento, Columbus and more.
“I wanted to help educate the ignorance and racism that has been predominant since the birth of the state of Minnesota,” said Forcia. “People don’t realize that systematic racism, slavery, white supremacy and genocide created America and having symbols representing that genocide is a continuous reminder of the atrocious history people continue to celebrate.”
As a result of COVID-19 precautions, court proceedings are severely limited and, according to Rice, Forcia may make his first appearance at court online at an unknown date.
Criminal damage to property in the first degree is a felony in Minnesota and punishable by up to 5 years in prison and/or fines reaching up to $10,000.
More Stories Like This
Biden Nominates Salish & Kootenai Tribal Attorney Danna Jackson for Federal BenchA Conversation With Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan: What We Can Celebrate Around the State
Return to the Heart Foundation Gives 44 Micro-Grants to Native Women Leaders
Indigenous Journalists Association President Addresses Members of the UNPFII
Inter-Tribal Council Passes Resolution Urging FCC to Establish Specific Event Code for Missing and Endangered Persons
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.