Yesterday afternoon, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver stopped by Columbus Park to check on the installation of a statue honoring Dr. Sun Yat-sen. The Chinese doctor and pro-democracy leader is a hero to many in Chinatown. The statue will be formally unveiled by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Saturday (noon), which would have been Sen Yat-sen’s 145th birthday. Silver posed for photos with CCBA president Jack Eng (standing next to the Speaker) and other Chinatown leaders. Silver and others are helping to persuade the Parks Department that the statue should stay in Columbus Park permanently (right now the city has only agreed to a one-year permit).
