A week after Black Lives Matter protesters attempted to topple the statue of Christopher Columbus, the authorities temporarily removed two statues of the Italian explorer in Chicago.

“It feels great seeing the statue come down,” resident Brenda Armenta said while watching the removal of the Grant Park monument on Friday morning.

These are the latest statues to come down after the outcry against perceived symbols of racial bias and imperialism in the US. In a statement given to media, the office of the Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, “The statues had been “temporarily removed… until further notice.”

The move “comes in response to demonstrations that became unsafe for both protesters and police, as well as efforts by individuals to independently pull the Grant Park statue down in an extremely dangerous manner. This step is about an effort to protect public safety and to preserve a safe space for an inclusive and democratic public dialogue about our city’s symbols,” it added.

The statues from Grant Park and Arrigo Park were removed.

Columbus is a controversial figure especially among the Black Americans who have questioned his legacy over the brutal treatment of native Americans by European colonizers. Earlier in June, a 3m bronze statue of Columbus was toppled in Saint Paul, Minnesota, while another in Boston, which stands on a plinth at the heart of town, was beheaded.