Central Park statue of doctor who experimented on slaves removed

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - The statue of a controversial doctor that has stood on the edge of Central Park for more than 80 years has been moved to Brooklyn.

The statue of Dr. J. Marion Sims couldn't come down fast enough for some New Yorkers who have protested the controversial statue for years. Sims, the so-called father of gynecology, performed experimental surgery without anesthesia on enslaved black women.

A commission created by Mayor Bill de Blasio's recommended moving the bronze statue to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn where Sims is buried.

Deputy Manhattan Borough President Matthew Washington said that the community has been calling for the statue's removal for a long time.

In 2017, the mayor called for a review of symbols of hate on city property after protests across the country demanding the removal of Confederate statues. A woman was killed at one protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, which sparked the national conversation.

The Sims statue at the cemetery will also include a marker that explains that the doctor performed the experimental surgery on slaves.

Some protestors wanted the statue demolished while others argued Sims is part of history—an ugly part of history that we should learn from and not run away from.