The existence of statues, monuments and public displays in Buffalo should not be governed by the whims of an angry mob fueled by delusions of "correcting" history or society. The city of Buffalo, and Western New York as a whole, has many more important issues that are completely unrelated to the names of city parks or any public monuments.

History is important to the culture of a society and no one is denying past indiscretions. Many of the most significant figures in Western history were obviously flawed as all of them were human. Many of the Founding Fathers, American presidents and countless U.S. officials were flawed people. The writer of the Declaration of Independence and the advocate for the Bill of Rights was Thomas Jefferson, a wealthy slave owner. Despite his layers of flaws as a human being every American owes a debt to the man that advocated for the enumeration of our individual rights and guaranteed our liberties as citizens of this nation.

Like Jefferson, many of the significant figures in American history have a mixed history and do not deserve to be scrubbed from American soil for the sake of the demands of those that have no respect for our shared history, culture or liberties.

Native Americans have been exploited and derided in the past but in the 21st century they are used as political props to push the totalitarian vision of far-left ideologues. If the Native population takes issue with particular monuments let them meet with public officials to discuss the issue but the empty insistence of being offended upon their behalf is cynical and repugnant.

We ask that Mayor Byron Brown of Buffalo ignore the cynical, authoritarian demands of any group attempting to remove statues (such as that of Christopher Columbus) or change the names of public parks (such as that of Columbus Park) and continue to focus on the many pressing issues in the city.