Residents opposed to controversial statue moving to Green-wood Cemetery

Residents are fighting the move of a controversial statue to Green-wood Cemetery.
The J. Marion Sims statue was removed from Central Park last week after Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered it be taken down.
Sims is credited for his scientific breakthroughs in surgical techniques in preventing complications during childbirth.
However, he used slaves to perform experiments and testing without using anesthesia or their consent.
Sims is buried in Green-wood, but residents say they do not want the statue in their neighborhood.
Residents expressed their concerns during a local community board meeting Thursday.
"It basically perpetuates the idealism behind offenses and crimes committed against women," said Melissa Del Valle Ortiz, a Sunset Park resident. "No one gave you permission to do this and this was imposed on us, much like the statue itself coming into the community."
Green-wood Cemetery says that it is not trying to glorify Sims, but to offer context with historical signs.
Another meeting is scheduled for Saturday at Grace Baptist Church in Sunset Park.