What is Lenin doing in Seattle?

Love it or hate it, or maybe ignore it. That is how Seattleites feel about the Fremont statue of Russian leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.
In front of a Taco del Mar in the middle of the Artistic Republic of Fremont, commonly known as the Seattle neighborhood of Fremont, sits a seven-ton bronze sculpture of the former leader of the communist party and the Russian revolution.
You might wonder why in the world a Russian statue of Lenin is in Fremont? Well, American veteran Lewis Carpenter, who was teaching in Slovakia during the fall of the Soviet Union, saw the statue on the ground in the city of Poprad, and decided it was such a great piece of art that it could not be left there to be destroyed.
The sculpture itself is one of the few left of its style, socialist-realism, which is a politically oriented style that represents themes of social concern, and glorifies the roles of the poor and socialist leaders.
However, not all Seattleites think that this sculpture is there for a political purpose. SCC student Janice Belotti-Pace said “I don’t think it’s a political statement at all, it’s just a piece of art and I don’t care why it’s there.”
However, she said it's also an opportunity for learning.
“I think it’s a great icon to let people learn about the revolution,” said Belotti-Pace.
On the other hand, some people think that this is a political move from the city, but not part of the communist agenda.
“Lots of times you get the chamber of commerce, who just wants traffic, people, to come see something,” said SCC librarian Jonathan Betz-Zall. “So the controversy is good for them because there are more people talking.”
Some people do not like the presence of Lenin in a Fremont street, because of some of the things he did during his time as a Russian leader, such as creating the secret police. However, Betz-Zall said that for some Eastern Europeans, “Lenin is not a devil figure...especially to people who remember Russia before the revolution, people who were oppressed by the Tzar and who think Lenin was a hero.”
Some people like SCC student Chez Wizza do not really care about the character represented in the sculpture, after all, it is just the sculpture in front of Taco del Mar, he said. “I think those people who care, are pretty dumb,” Wizza said. “I’m not going to loose sleep over it.”



Published in the Ebbtide, Feb 26 2010