Monument fight takes aim at Christopher Columbus statue

UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan -- The statue of Christopher Columbus in the middle of Columbus Circle is now at the center of controversy.

City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito wants the city to consider it among controversial monuments officials are hoping to remove.

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Columbus is revered by many, but others argue he should not be honored because he brutalized and killed many native Americans. Because of that, they argue his legacy is tarnished.

Mayor Bill de Blasio recently commissioned a task force to look at statues and monuments around the city, and after a 90-day review, make a recommendation as to what they believe should happen.

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Mark-Viverito argued Columbus should be called into question because of his brutal and bloody past.

"There are still to this day conversations happening because of the monuments, other Columbus statues, being talked about," she said. "I would want the commission to look at that statue as well."