Ohio city declares itself a 'sanctuary city' — for statues, monuments being torn down

Newton Falls, a small town in northeast Ohio, has declared itself a "sanctuary city" — but not for illegal immigrants.

Instead, city manager David Lynch proclaimed Saturday that the town will be a "Statuary Sanctuary City" where monuments and statues being targeted for destruction across America will be given amnesty, WFMJ-TV reported.

The city will welcome statues of the following people to make Newton Falls their new home:

• George Washington
• Abraham Lincoln
• Thomas Jefferson
• Ulysses S. Grant
• Patrick Henry
• Francis Scott Key
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Christopher Columbus

"The great leaders of our country and Western civilization, though flawed in many ways, have risen to great achievement such as the founding of our nation, the ending of slavery, establishment and protection of our national parks, the establishment of antitrust laws to protect our citizens from overaggressive monopolization of industry, and the discovery of the new world itself," the proclamation states, according to WFMJ.

"These great leaders as represented in beautiful and artistic statuary throughout our nation deserve to stand in a place of honor and respect as a reminder that we, as Americans, can achieve great things," the document continues.

The proclamation vows to place relocated statues "in a place of honor and respect to inspire greatness and achievement."

Newton Falls' stand comes as protesters nationwide tear down monuments and statues dedicated to America's early leaders.

Washington, for example, is being targeted because he owned slaves, while Lincoln is being targeted despite signing the Emancipation Proclamation.

Even Frederick Douglass, who was born into slavery and is one of the most prominent black men in American history, has been targeted, including the tearing down of his statue in Rochester, New York, over the weekend.