Indigenous Activist Charged in Toppling of Columbus Statue Outside MN Capitol

Minnesota prosecutors have charged an Indigenous activist in the toppling of a Christopher Columbus statue outside the Capitol in St. Paul this past June.

Mike Forcia, a prominent American Indian Movement leader, was charged Thursday with a felony count of criminal property damage. Forcia, 56, was charged in connection to the June 10th incident where he led a group of protestors in pulling down the statue with a rope. He later told reporters he was willing to accept the consequences for pulling it down.

The estimated cost to repair the statue is more than $150,000.