A 700-pound bronze statue of George Floyd was unveiled at City Hall in Newark, N.J., Wednesday (June 16) to honor his life and make a statement on social justice. 

Newark mayor Ras Baraka along with Leon Pickney (who commissioned and donated the statue) along with others, unveiled the donated statue, just three days shy of Juneteenth. Officials say the statue will remain there for at least a year, and they hope it will serve as a reminder of the global movement sparked by Floyd’s murder. 
Sculptor Stanley Watts depicted Floyd sitting on a bench and explained during the unveiling ceremony why he did it this way.

“The world needed a peaceful George,” said Watts, according to NJ.com. “The world needed him relaxed and chilling on a bench and that’s what we produced and we produced him larger than life, because after death, George will be remembered. That’s what memorials are. To remember and never forget why we changed today and tomorrow and for the rest of our existence on this planet.”

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In May of 2020, a peaceful protest of over 12,000 people took place in Newark to protest against police brutality and the Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, which sparked months of intense demonstrations around the world.

A statue of Christopher Columbus was removed last year from Newark’s Washington Park, a public artwork that had stood since 1927. 

"In keeping with the movement to remove symbols of oppression and white supremacy, we have decided to remove the statue," Baraka said. "We took it down with city work crews in a safe and orderly manner, to avoid the potential danger of people taking it upon themselves to topple it."

Last fall, Newark announced the Columbus’ statue will be replaced with a Harriet Tubman statue. Washington Park will be renamed to “Tubman Square” in 2022, when the statue is expected to be placed.

"This monument will reflect how Newark honors one of our great pioneers and warriors, and therefore it should in turn reflect the views of our residents," Baraka said.