There are renewed calls for Newburgh to take down its Christopher Columbus statue after vandals targeted the monument.

Vandals spray-painted the statue’s hands blood red and scrawled "history" over the monument's base.  

The incident has sparked the longstanding controversy of whether the Italian explorer should be celebrated for helping to discover the New World or denounced for slaughtering indigenous Americans.

The statue was erected in 1992 by the Newburgh chapter of the Italian-American heritage group UNICO.

MORE: Vandals damage Christopher Columbus statue in Yonkers

Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey says many believe the statue should come down, and that history shows that the explorer inflicted violence and slavery on many.

“I think a conversation needs to take place with people both sides of the argument whether or not his contributions were valuable,” says Harvey.

The mayor says police are investigating the incident and that the city is determined to catch whoever is responsible.

The mayor says the city, which now owns the monument, does plan to repair it.