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Statue Of Former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo To Be Moved In 'Another Month Or So,' Mayor Kenney Says

PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) -- After protestors attempted to tear down and burn a statue of former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo on Saturday, Mayor Jim Kenney says the statue is coming down.

Frank Rizzo Statue Burning
(credit: CBS3)

Kenney said officials hoped to move it in "another month or so."

"I've never liked that statue. I don't think it was deserved in the first place, and I didn't put it there," Kenney said Sunday. "We're gonna move it, hopefully by another month or so. We're going to accelerate its movement."

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Rizzo, mayor from 1972 to 1980, was praised by supporters as tough on crime but accused by critics of discriminating against minorities. His 10-foot-tall (3-meter-tall) bronze statue outside the Municipal Services Building, across from City Hall, has been defaced before and was to be moved next year.

Kenney was also questioned about why crews cleaned the statue today and removed graffiti from it.

Kenney said there was no political agenda behind.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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