SAN DIEGO —
Chula Vista police are searching for the person who vandalized a Christopher Columbus statue in Discovery Park with red paint. This is the second time the station has been vandalized in less than a year.
This news comes as some are wondering if it's time to change the name of Christopher Columbus Day to recognize the country's indigenous people instead.
Discovery Park was the site of a protest Saturday, calling on the city to remove the sculpture.
Columbus is considered more controversial these days.
The Italian explorer is often credited with discovering America and is often considered a hero among Italian-Americans for his contributions in human migration. However, recently scholars criticized Columbus' role in promoting slavery and poor treatment of Native Americans.
Some states and California cities have opted to rename the day to “Indigenous People’s Day.”
Most local governments around San Diego don't consider Columbus Day a holiday, but haven't taken a stand on a name change.
Chula Vista only honors two people with holidays: Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr.
Online, reaction was mixed when people weighed in on Facebook and Instagram.
"Society is losing its mind,” said Lauren, a Facebook user. “By changing history will have nothing to do with our future.”
"It's not changing history,” said Jeremy, another Facebook user. “Columbus has no reason to be honored. He can be REMEMBERED by learning about INDIGENOUS PEOPLE DAY and you would learn about all the atrocities he committed and his contributions.”
Several News 8 Facebook followers pointed out it starts with how we learn about Columbus.
"How about changing the way they teach about this in school before we worry about a label for some day only select people actually get off or celebrate?” said Shawn, a Facebook user. “They still teach it the way I was taught, over 35 years ago.”