Tucson panel rejects request to remove Pancho Villa statue
A statue of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa is remaining in downtown Tucson following an effort by a conservative watchdog group to remove it.
The Arizona Daily Star reports members of the Public Art and Community Design Committee last week unanimously rejected a removal request by Washington, D.C.-based Judicial Watch.
The group claims city records do not indicate that a public hearing was held to hear complaints about the statue before it was unveiled in 1981.
The committee says the request did not meet any of the 10 criteria used to consider removing public art.
Mark Spencer, the Phoenix-based coordinator of Judicial Watch’s Southwest Projects, says he would consult with his legal team to see if the panel adhered to city policies.
