Zenos Frudakis, the artist who created the sculpture, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the mayor did the right thing in removing his piece and said he was relieved.

“I’m a human being before I’m an artist. The human being part of me was saying ‘I don’t want people hurt.’ It’s not about my sculpture, my ego,” he said. “I don’t want the sculpture damaged, either. To take it out safely and quietly was the right thing to do.”

Frudakis said the statue was a “manifestation of oppression” for many people.

The National Guard protected the fenced-off area as the two-ton figure was taken away by a crane, reports CBS 3 Philly. The statue, which has been standing since 1999, is being placed in storage by the Department of Public Property. If not donated or relocated, it will be disposed of. The Rizzo family, which paid for and gifted the statue to the city, hopes to keep it for themselves.

A mural of Rizzo in the Italian Market remains vandalized with a large smear of brown paint, which has yet to be addressed by the mayor, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

After serving as police commissioner for three years, Rizzo served two terms as mayor, reports The Hill. During his tenure as mayor, he opposed desegregation of Philadelphia’s schools and new public housing projects.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney

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