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The team said it erected the statue of
Griffith, who died in 1999, in 2010 as a tribute to the moments
that shaped the franchise's history including its move to
Minnesota from Washington, D.C. in 1961, which he orchestrated.
At an event in 1978 he said he chose Minnesota because the state
"only had 15,000 Blacks here" compared to more racially diverse
places such as New Orleans.
"We came here because you've got good, hard-working, white
people here," Griffith said, according to an article https://www.startribune.com/sept-28-1978-calvin-griffith-spares-few-targets-in-waseca-remarks/482828011/?refresh=true
published in the Minneapolis Tribune at the time.
He also disparaged a number of black players including Hall of
Famer Rod Carew, who left the team in 1979, saying he could not
play for "a bigot."
Minneapolis has been in the spotlight since May 24 following the
death of a black man, George Floyd, when a white Minneapolis
police officer pinned him to the ground with a knee to his neck
for nearly nine minutes. In protest, people have demonstrated
worldwide against racism and police brutality.
"Our decision to memorialize Calvin Griffith with a statue
reflects an ignorance on our part of systemic racism present in
1978, 2010 and today," the Twins said in a statement.
"We apologize for our failure to adequately recognize how the
statue was viewed and the pain it caused for many people - both
inside the Twins organization and across Twins Territory,"
"We cannot remove Calvin Griffith from the history of the
Minnesota Twins, but we believe removal of this statue is an
important and necessary step in our ongoing commitment to
provide a Target Field experience where every fan and employee
feels safe and welcome."
The Twins announcement was made on Juneteenth, the June 19
holiday marking freedom for slaves in the United States.
Last week, a statue of Christopher Columbus was taken down by
American Indian activists at the Minnesota state capitol and
statues of Confederate leaders have been toppled around the
country.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; editing by Grant McCool)
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