Caltrans Removes I-280 Junipero Serra Statue In Hillsborough, and Boy Is SF's Nutty Archbishop Mad

"Back during SF's post-George Floyd statue tear-down spree of 2020, activists ripped down a statue of 18th century Franciscan missionary Junipero Serra. It was not replaced, as Father Junipero Serra's legacy of late-1700s of cruelty toward Indigenous peoples in establishing California's missions was forcing many cities to rethink whether they wanted those statues of him or monuments to him that were dotted across the state."

"There had also long been a 26-foot-tall statue of Junipero Serra above I-280 near Hillsborough, designed by artist Louis DuBois in 1975. Caltrans apparently removed that statue in August of this year, and pretty much no one noticed. But in the last 24 hours, KRON4 reports there has been a fresh firestorm of controversy over the statue's removal, even attracting attention from the bottom-feeders of the international press who are always looking to complain about the San Francisco Bay Area."

"And a critical driver of this fresh controversy has been the homophobic, COVID-spreading San Francisco Diocese Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. This is not a surprise, after Cordileone held a kooky exorcism at the Junipero Serra statue site in SF after that statue was torn down five years ago. I learned about the removal of the St Junipero Serra statue after it happened, Cordileone said a statement to KRON4."

Caltrans removed a 26-foot-tall Junipero Serra statue above I-280 near Hillsborough in August with little public notice. Activists tore down a San Francisco Junipero Serra statue during 2020 post-George Floyd protests and that statue was not replaced. Junipero Serra's late-1700s cruelty toward Indigenous peoples in establishing California missions led cities to rethink monuments honoring him. The I-280 statue, designed by Louis DuBois in 1975, drew renewed attention after KRON4 reported its removal. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone called the removal anti-Catholic persecution and criticized alleged lack of consultation. Caltrans says it contacted Cordileone prior to the move.

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