Christopher Columbus statue removed at Coit Tower in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Christopher Columbus statue at Coit Tower in San Francisco has been removed.

The Arts Commission took it down from Telegraph Hill.

The statue has been vandalized several times in the past months. In October, red paint covered the face of the controversial colonist, while the base of the statue had graffiti that read, "Destroy all monuments of genocide and kill all colonizers."

In Sacramento, a statue depicting Christopher Columbus that has been the centerpiece of the California Capitol rotunda since 1883 will be removed after legislative leaders decided it is out of place "given the deadly impact his arrival in this hemisphere had on indigenous populations."

The decision, announced Tuesday by legislative leaders, has long been sought by groups and others who say it's wrong to honor a man who ushered in an era of genocide to North America's indigenous peoples. But their effort gained momentum following the nationwide protests over racial injustice spurred by the death of George Floyd.

Native American advocates have also long pressed states to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day over concerns that Columbus spurred centuries of genocide against indigenous populations in the Americas.

Stay with ABC7 News for the latest details on this developing story.