Statue of segregationist Dearborn Mayor Hubbard adorned in Black Lives Matter shirt before being removed

DEARBORN, Mich. (FOX 2) - A controversial statue in Dearborn has been removed amid recent protests surrounding police brutality and racism.

The statue of former Dearborn Mayor Orville Hubbard -- which stood outside the city's historical museum is now gone. The late Hubbard was a known racist and longtime mayor of the city for decades.

Photos courtesy Sue Suchyta

Earlier in the week it was adorned with a Black Lives Matter T-shirt as it stood north of the McFadden-Ross House as part of the Dearborn Historical Museum complex.

The shirt was removed and not long after, the statue was as well. At one time it stood in front of Dearborn city hall before being put in storage then amid criticism, was placed in front of the museum in 2017.

Susan Dabaja, the city council's first Arab-American president said in statement after conversations with her colleagues, the administration and the Hubbard family, his statue is gone to be moved to his gravesite.

"As Americans, we know that history can be a painful but effective teacher. Orville Hubbard - someone whose racist views should never have a place in our town - is one of those lessons for Dearborn," she wrote. "And now, let's continue working to make things right through policies that will create meaningful change."

Statue of racist Dearborn Mayor Hubbard removed after first getting BLM shirt

A controversial statue in Dearborn has been removed amid recent protests surrounding police brutality and racism.

The city of Dearborn released a statement about the divisive monument, saying it was commissioned through a private campaign and funded with donations, adding the city has no record of it being gifted and does not own it.

"The statue had been a divisive symbol rather than a unifying one," the statement reads. "The fact that the Hubbard family was able to move it out of Dearborn now-something they had wanted to do since 2015, when the statue was removed from the former City Hall campus-- is a positive development for our community. It will allow our message to be better heard that Dearborn is committed to being a welcoming place for people of goodwill from all backgrounds."