Lenin statue ‘silent protest against communism,’ says family member … – KING5.com
KING 5's Lili Tan reports.
LiLi Tan, KING 12:04 AM. PDT August 21, 2017
In the Fremont neighborhood, a statue of Vladimir Lenin has sat at North 36th Street and Fremont Place North since the mid-1990s. (Photo: KING)
Art and injustice: its heated topic of debate across the United States. Seattles quirky Fremont neighborhood, which is home to a seven-ton statue of Vladimir Lenin, is now also home to controversy.
Some are demanding the statues removal, including Mayor Ed Murray.
I think hed say they've got it wrong. That maybe their intentions are good, but they're seeing it in the same terms of the confederate statues, which are used to oppress people. There's no comparison. It is apples and oranges, Fran Dodson said.
Dodson is the former wife of Lewis Carpenter, who bought and shipped the statue from Slovakia.
You might say I helped him buy it, Dodson said. If you ask Lew why he did it, he'd say, for cookies, which for him meant for fun. He thought he was going to make a killing on it.
The Issaquah man never flipped it for profit, but the couple did become good friends with artist Emil Venkov, who Dodson says was forced to forge the statue by the Communist Regime.
He was commissioned, but he wanted to do it his way. They tried to argue with him, tell him how to do it, but he did it anyway. This was his silent protest against communism because it was oppressive, Dodson said, explaining the statue has hidden messages intended by the artist to be symbols of resistance.
What it does is it shows Lenin as not a benevolent dictator, but an aggressive dictator: stepping forward in an aggressive manner whereas in other artworks he is often shown with children and abstract rifles and flames shooting up from behind him, showing he was a violent man, Dodson said.
Blood on the hands came at a later date and by someone other than Venkov.
I look at the red paint that someone's added to his hand, posters on his backside. I've seen him in a tutu. I don't think he's respected here. I think he's ridiculed, Dodson said, explaining her husband would love the protests and controversy happening today.
After all, controversy sometimes spurs capitalism, which could potentially raising the statues resale value Carpenters lifelong American Dream.
I could see that happening, Dodson said joking. I think he could also enjoy the value of how its making people think.
She hopes the statue will not be sold or moved because the family uses the statue to pay their respects to Carpenter, who died in a car crash in 1994.
Instead, Dodson hopes the smaller plaque can be placed next to the statue, explaining the artists intensions.
2017 KING-TV
Read the original post:
Lenin statue 'silent protest against communism,' says family member ... - KING5.com
- From Sputnik 1 and Yuri Gagarin to Artemis II: The Socialist Origins of Spaceflight - In Defense of Communism - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Tudeh Party of Iran: Statement on the provisional ceasefire between Iran and the U.S - In Defense of Communism - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- After 50 years of being branded a 'pinko,' man cleared of violating anti-communism law - Korea JoongAng Daily - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Vietnamese refugees will be left off Victims of Communism memorial: documents - unpublished.ca - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Zohran Mamdani accused of pushing race communism in New York City - Sky News Australia - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Exploring the Asian conflicts and campaign against communism - Ferntree Gully Star Mail - April 10th, 2026 [April 10th, 2026]
- Putins United Russia, Communist Party (CPRF) in talks to form National Unity Party - In Defense of Communism - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- The Castro who could save Cuba from communism - The Telegraph - April 5th, 2026 [April 5th, 2026]
- Lawmakers pass bill mandating anti-communism instruction in schools - The Tennessean - March 28th, 2026 [March 28th, 2026]
- Communist Party of Swaziland: "Taiwan's president Lai Ching-te is unwelcome" - In Defense of Communism - March 28th, 2026 [March 28th, 2026]
- The Forgotten Buffy Episode That Secretly Endorsed Communism - Yahoo - March 28th, 2026 [March 28th, 2026]
- Latvian series gain momentum at Series Mania thanks to Aurora. Newsroom and The Last Divorce of Communism - Cineuropa - March 28th, 2026 [March 28th, 2026]
- The Forgotten Buffy Episode That Secretly Endorsed Communism - Giant Freakin Robot - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Ukraine: Zelenskys regime intensifies persecution of the Kononovich Brothers - In Defense of Communism - March 26th, 2026 [March 26th, 2026]
- Nepals election marks a rare democratic defeat of communism - The Hill - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- What If Cuba Had Nuclear Weapons? The Limits of Peaceful Coexistence - In Defense of Communism - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- TN bill would create 'Victims of Communism Day' - The Tomahawk - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Russian Communist Youth Congress in Moscow highlights need for a new Communist Party - In Defense of Communism - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Workers Representatives Council established in Turkey at the initiative of the Communist Party - In Defense of Communism - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Lights out: Cubas blackout exposes the hollow promise of communism - Washington Examiner - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- European Communist Action: The anti-imperialist struggle of the peoples must be strengthened - In Defense of Communism - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Book review: Red Dawn Over China: How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity - The Financial Express - March 24th, 2026 [March 24th, 2026]
- Massive KKE rally in Greece sends message of solidarity with Cuba: CUBA IS NOT ALONE! - In Defense of Communism - March 13th, 2026 [March 13th, 2026]
- Communist and Workers' Parties of America denounce Trump's "Shield of the Americas Summit" - In Defense of Communism - March 13th, 2026 [March 13th, 2026]
- Jordanian Communist Party strongly condemns the arrest of two members of its Political Bureau - In Defense of Communism - March 13th, 2026 [March 13th, 2026]
- Israeli communist MP warns: "Trump and Netanyahu risk dragging world into a forever war'" - In Defense of Communism - March 13th, 2026 [March 13th, 2026]
- Anti-imperialist rally in Cyprus calls for closure of British and U.S. bases - In Defense of Communism - March 13th, 2026 [March 13th, 2026]
- Trump to CNN: Cuba will fall soon, after 50 years of communism - cna.al - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- ECA: Statement on the 107th anniversary of the founding of the Communist International - In Defense of Communism - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Communist Party of Turkey: "NATO bases must be closed immediately and U.S soldiers must be expelled" - In Defense of Communism - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Communists from Iran, Israel and the United States condemn Trump-Netanyahu war in the Middle East - In Defense of Communism - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- AKEL: The attack on British bases confirms the dangers that their presence poses to Cyprus - In Defense of Communism - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- KKE calls for popular mobilization to disengage Greece from the USIsraeli war in the Middle East - In Defense of Communism - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Communist Initiative of Cyprus: The island is becoming a target for retaliation - Shut down the British bases - In Defense of Communism - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Tudeh Party of Iran on the death of Ali Khamenei and the right of the Iranian people to decide their future - In Defense of Communism - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Shut Down All U.SBritish Bases in Greece and Cyprus! - In Defense of Communism - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- The posters that helped topple communism go on display in Westminster - ianVisits - March 7th, 2026 [March 7th, 2026]
- Communist Party of Mexico: On the violence in Jalisco and the "war against drug cartels" - In Defense of Communism - February 27th, 2026 [February 27th, 2026]
- KKE: Response to the slanderous attack by the Russian CWP and the CP of the Russian Federation - In Defense of Communism - February 27th, 2026 [February 27th, 2026]
- Letter from the TKP to the KKE regarding the historical documents on the 200 communists in Kaisariani - In Defense of Communism - February 27th, 2026 [February 27th, 2026]
- KKE condemns the threats by the US and the state of Israel against Iran - In Defense of Communism - February 27th, 2026 [February 27th, 2026]
- Shen Yun Shares With Indianapolis Theatergoers Its Mission to Revive China Before Communism - NTD News - February 27th, 2026 [February 27th, 2026]
- Red Dawn Over China: How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity brutality behind the propaganda - Financial Times - February 14th, 2026 [February 14th, 2026]
- Colonialism and communism hand-in-hand: why West Bengal embraces the hammer and sickle - ndsmcobserver.com - February 11th, 2026 [February 11th, 2026]
- Communist Parties from across the world condemn U.S aggression and threats against Cuba - In Defense of Communism - February 11th, 2026 [February 11th, 2026]
- KKE calls on Mitsotakis government to reject Trumps Peace Council invitation - In Defense of Communism - February 11th, 2026 [February 11th, 2026]
- China Before Communism: Shen Yun Displays a World Almost Lost to Theatergoers in Tampa - NTD News - February 11th, 2026 [February 11th, 2026]
- Opinion | Conservatives see the bogeyman of communism everywhere - The Boston Globe - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Opinion: Alaska would thrive under communism - Anchorage Daily News - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- The Epstein scandal is an offspring of capitalism - In Defense of Communism - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- KKE in EU Parliament: In the face of new threats from the US, we demand: hands off Cuba! - In Defense of Communism - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Dr Brian Benfield on the regulatory state: A protection racket and the rise of new communism - BizNews - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Commemorations held in Bulgaria for victims of communism - The Sofia Globe - February 7th, 2026 [February 7th, 2026]
- Quote of the Day by Karl Marx: 'Necessity is blind until it'Inspiring quotes by the father of communism - The Economic Times - January 18th, 2026 [January 18th, 2026]
- Free the Economy podcast: Total boomer luxury communism with Russ Greene - Competitive Enterprise Institute - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Communism, Islamism and the 50 countries that most persecute Christians in 2026 - Contando Estrelas - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- REPLAY: Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation Reflects on 60 Years of Cuban Terror - NTD News - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Communism in India is let down by its own incoherence - The Indian Express - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Texas requires students learn about 'perils of communism' in sweeping new curriculum overhaul - Fox News - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- When communism is the only option - The Japan Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- How a Wounded Tusk Is Rehabilitating Communism - The European Conservative - December 7th, 2025 [December 7th, 2025]
- Communism Defeated Fascism Eighty Years Ago and Will Defeat it Again: The Forty-Eighth Newsletter (2025) - Tricontinental: Institute for Social... - November 28th, 2025 [November 28th, 2025]
- Transcript: Ive Got No Problem With Communism: Hasan Piker on TRIGGERnometry Podcast - The Singju Post - November 28th, 2025 [November 28th, 2025]
- This weeks top comments from Tampabay.com include Cold-War communism and ACA benefits. - Tampa Bay Times - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- Trump in Miami: We have a choice between Communism and Common Sense - The Pavlovic Today - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- Trump says New Yorkers will seek refuge from communism in Miami - The Business Journals - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- In memory of the millions lost to Communism - The Institute Of Public Affairs - November 7th, 2025 [November 7th, 2025]
- 19 People From Former Soviet Republics Are Sharing What Others "Just Don't Get" About Communism - BuzzFeed - November 3rd, 2025 [November 3rd, 2025]
- 35 years later/ Why the monstrous crimes of communism in Albania were never punished - cna.al - November 3rd, 2025 [November 3rd, 2025]
- The Pope gives the green light to 11 new blessed individuals killed under Nazism and Communism - Rome Reports - October 30th, 2025 [October 30th, 2025]
- Pope gives true light to the beatification of 11 martyrs of Nazism and Communism - omnesmag.com - October 26th, 2025 [October 26th, 2025]
- Are communism and socialism the same? - MinnPost - October 24th, 2025 [October 24th, 2025]
- Pope approves beatification for priests martyred under Nazism and Communism - Vatican News - October 24th, 2025 [October 24th, 2025]
- Analyst: World Split Between Communism and FreedomUS Only Now Waking Up - NTD News - October 24th, 2025 [October 24th, 2025]
- Pope Leo XIV authorizes beatification of 20th-century martyrs of Nazism and Communism - CatholicVote org - October 24th, 2025 [October 24th, 2025]
- Does communism have a future in India? - Scroll.in - October 24th, 2025 [October 24th, 2025]
- Trump Jr. says Mamdani victory may be needed to stop disease of communism in US - Washington Examiner - October 24th, 2025 [October 24th, 2025]
- Letter to the editor: Communism attracts followers by stoking greed - Washington Times - October 21st, 2025 [October 21st, 2025]
- Building the forces of Communism donate to the Revolutionary Communist Party today! - Revolutionary Communist Party - October 19th, 2025 [October 19th, 2025]
- From The Hindu, October 17, 1925: The war on communism - The Hindu - October 17th, 2025 [October 17th, 2025]