Protesters Topple Junipero Serra Statue In San Rafael To Mark Indigenous Peoples' Day
SAN RAFAEL (KPIX 5) - Protesters pulled down a statue of Junipero Serra in downtown San Rafael, Monday evening.
The protest was dubbed the 'Red Paint Rally' and planned to mark Indigenous Peoples' Day.
A flyer distributed on social media told people to, "Bring signs in support of the Coast Miwok people of Marin County," whose villages in the area date back as early as 1579.
The statue was in front of the Church of Saint Raphael near the site of the San Rafael mission. Junipero Serra is recognized as a saint in the Catholic church, however Native American tribes accused the 18th century missionary of presiding over a brutal colonization of indigenous people.
The activists sprayed red paint on the statue, and video shows them pulling it down, using colored ropes.