The People's Petition for the Removal of the Statue of William Blackstone (the preacher behind the land-stealing and slaughter of our Indigenous People)
Pawtucket City Council
On August 24th, with no consultation of Narragansett tribal leadership and no due public process of Pawtucket residents, a statue of William Blackstone was erected in Pawtucket. Blackstone’s leadership in 17th century Pawtucket led to the land-stealing and slaughter of our Indigneous People. The City of Pawtucket should not put up any statues of historical figures who played a role in oppressing others, especially while so many are being taken down across the country.
The erection of this monument is the result of a joint venture between the Administration of Mayor Don Grebien, Bob Billington (a direct descendant of the Mayflower) of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, and Louis Yip of Pui-O Corporation, using funds from the HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which should have gone to ensure housing security in the middle of a pandemic.
For more information, see this WPRI article and/or contact Native Green at n8tvegreen@gmail.com.
Please sign on below if you agree that this statue should be taken down.Sponsored by
To:
Pawtucket City Council
From:
[Your Name]
William Blackstone was a colonizer, preacher and an overt supporter of the Manifest Destiny doctrine which actively pursued the erasure of the Indigenous Peoples of this land, effectively killing and slaughtering millions. He should not be honored and celebrated with a statue in the heart of Pawtucket. With this petition, we request the City Council to pass an ordinance for the immediate removal of the William Blackstone monument erected on 8/24/21 on private land owned by Pui-O Corporation at the intersection of Roosevelt and Exchange in the City of Pawtucket.