‘Goddess’ Is Welcomed in Chinatown After Being Hustled Out of Civic Center

Hoisted ingloriously onto a flatbed truck, Los Angeles’ replica of the “Goddess of Democracy” statue was evicted Monday on the orders of city officials from its perch on a Civic Center footbridge.

But unlike its prototype in China, crushed by government troops during the Beijing massacre last month, this 23-foot-high makeshift monument survived to receive a hero’s welcome in a new home--Chinatown.

With the assistance of a dozen city workers, the monument was lifted onto its feet on the front steps of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Assn. headquarters on Broadway. The monument will remain in place in Chinatown for at least the next two weeks.

Said association President Jon G. Wong: “We welcome the statue. We may try to put it in the Chinatown Plaza but otherwise it will remain here. We’re not going to let anyone destroy it.”

The monument, built of plastic foam and wood by a Santa Monica artist, startled and fascinated onlookers in Chinatown.

“The more the better,” Bill Brophy, 39, a tourist from San Diego, said of the 1,000-pound statue. Brophy added that he would like the Chinese government to “see a thousand statues like this.”

Los Angeles’ hastily constructed Goddess was erected outside City Hall on June 12, without city permission, as a tribute to supporters of the Chinese pro-democracy movement, whose dreams had ended in bloodshed the previous week. Despite her tender age, the Goddess seemingly has endured a lifetime of peril.

Safety Issue Resolved

Before the torch could be hammered into place, police and fire officials, worried that the statue could topple, ordered the artwork removed. Councilman Michael Woo interceded, asking the Board of Public Works to cut through its usual red tape and grant permission for the statue to remain in place temporarily.

The safety issue was answered by the forces of nature, even before the board voted. Specifically, the earth shook, in the form of a 4.5-magnitude earthquake. The statue remained unbowed.

That morning, the board allowed the statue to remain on the footbridge for a week. And the next week, board members agreed to allow its move to the steps of City Hall for another 90 days.

But then the city attorney’s office stepped in, opining that city approval of political displays on government property could set a dangerous precedent.

Artist Tom Van Sant was given a deadline of 5 p.m. Monday to remove the statue, which has weathered considerably during its three-week life span.

As it turned out, the city government provided a crew for the move, which required seven trucks, a dozen employees and 2 1/2 hours of hard work.

By the time Van Sant arrived at the Civic Center, nearly an hour late, Bureau of Street Lighting employees had already gently rigged the monument for its removal.

Fissures Evident

Van Sant said he was tardy because he had stopped off at two lumber yards to find plastic foam to repair parts of the monument that have deteriorated since its construction. Two large panels of foam have fallen off its back and several fissures were evident on its robe.

First, crew member Elliott Kowitz, perched in a cherry-picker, unfastened the statue’s torch. Then four workers tilted the Goddess onto its back.

Ten hard-hatted men, looking like pallbearers carrying an oversized Egyptian mummy, proceeded to walk the 23-foot statue across the mall outside the Los Angeles Children’s Museum to a waiting city truck.

The statue was placed on its back in the vehicle, its head hanging out over the road.

The only damage in the entire operation occurred when workers gave it a final shove into the truck. A third foam panel fell from its shoulder area.

“We have a rotator cuff injury,” Kowitz shouted.

‘Neat Stuff’

Among the small crowd watching the move was Mark Walsh, who was pushing his 21-month-old son, Alex, in a stroller.

‘We think it’s just neat stuff,” the tourist from San Francisco said.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” echoed Carolyn Scofield, a visitor from San Diego. “I’m glad we’re using our taxpayers’ money for something like this. I think it’s very worthwhile. We might as well use it to show we stand up for freedom.”

According to Board of Public Works President Edward J. Avila, the statue transfer will probably cost more than $1,000 in city funds.

“We allowed the statue to stay up for this length of time,” he said, “and so we feel an obligation to move it.”

Late last week, Avila ordered the statue removed after receiving an opinion from Deputy City Atty. Chris Westhoff that placing it at City Hall could set a poor precedent. Last week, the board received a letter asking for equal space for a display that would claim that the Holocaust during World War II did not take place.

Statue Praised

“Any time you allow a group or cause to put up a display, you end up with other people trying to take advantage,” Westhoff said.

After the Chinatown installation, celebrated with several bursts of illegal firecrackers, onlookers enthusiastically praised the statue.

“It’s good because it represents freedom,” said college student Shirley Wong, 23. “Every people wants it, the freedom.”

However, the statue’s placement could still prove controversial.

Within five feet of its torch waves a flag of Taiwan, adversary of mainland China.

“I hadn’t thought about that,” said Van Sant as he peered at his creation. “It is a bit much isn’t it? More controversy.”