1. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s 2020 post showing him flipping off a Columbus statue with “Take it down”
2. Scott LoBaido’s May 2026 middle finger statue protest outside City Hall
3. The Preserving Italian Heritage Coalition’s August 2026 announcement to unveil a new Columbus statue in October at John Hughes Club in Dyker Heights
4. Key quotes from Lester Chang, Gregory Lendino, Lori Pedone, and Stefano Forte
A new nonprofit is planning to unveil a Christopher Columbus statue in Brooklyn this October — dodging Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other haters who’d rather cancel the Italian-born explorer.
The Preserving Italian Heritage Coalition, brought together by Chinese-American state Assemblyman Lester Chang (R-Brooklyn), is planning to house the statue at the John Hughes Club in Dyker Heights, private property that keeps it out of the clutches of city officials.
“I’m Chinese, but this is my community, too,” said Chang, who was born on Eldridge Street in Manhattan and today represents Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights.
Chang traces the idea to last November’s election and to President Trump’s Columbus Day proclamation weeks earlier, which vowed to reclaim the explorer from “left-wing arsonists.”
He wrote the committee’s first check himself, before there was a bank account to put it in.
The club’s official website lists the venue at 1305 86th Street in Brooklyn, near the intersection of 86th Street and 13th Avenue, with members telling the Post that private property could avoid the city review and red tape that would come with a public monument.
Gregory Lendino, the coalition’s treasurer, said Columbus was “an icon” to Italians for generations.
“It didn’t matter if you were Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal. He was just an icon that we rallied around,” he said.
“They came here and they built things,” Lendino added. “They didn’t tear things down.”
Committee member Lori Pedone said the effort carries deep personal meaning for her family. “My grandparents would be ecstatic knowing that we’re trying to preserve history,” she said.
“My son was recently married. Maybe my grandchildren will one day be able to see that statue and be proud of it as well.”
New York Young Republican Club President Stefano Forte is supporting the effort. “At a time when Italian American history and culture are being erased by Mayor Mamdani, our club is highlighting one of the giants of American and Italian history, Christopher Columbus.”
The group’s argument is about more than one bronze figure. The Columbus Heritage Coalition says Columbus monuments have become symbols of Italian American identity, pointing to the history of immigrants who used public statues to assert cultural pride after facing discrimination and violence.
The project was brought together by state Assemblymember Lester Chang, who represents Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights, and received early fundraising help from the New York Young Republican Club.
In early 2026, Assembly Member Lester Chang drew together a coalition of Italian-American civic leaders, community organizations, and cultural advocates to form the Preserving Italian-American Heritage Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The mission is to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States and honor the lasting contributions of Italian-Americans by building a statue of Christopher Columbus on the grounds of the historic John Hughes Club on 86th Street in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.
Through the hard work of the volunteer committee and the vision of designer Peter DiMarzio, who oversees the sculpting of the statue, the coalition has begun work to deliver it for the community.
The bronze monument designed by Peter DiMarzio will be installed at the John Hughes Club in Dyker Heights, located on the portion of 86th Street named in honor of the founder of the Knights of Columbus, Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, 34, posted a photo in June 2020 showing himself flipping the middle finger to a towering Columbus statue in Astoria.
“Take it down,” Mamdani wrote.
The image was posted during nationwide protests over George Floyd’s death, with activists demanding the removal of statues depicting contentious historical figures like Columbus.
A coalition of 40 Italian-American groups ripped socialist Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani as a hater and divider for wanting to take down statues honoring explorer Christopher Columbus.
Coalition treasurer Gregory Lendino said the statue will move forward despite the possibility of opposition or vandalism.
The statue is set to debut in October in Brooklyn.