Native Americans

Recently a statue of Columbus was damaged. It was an emotional response to real or perceived past injustice. There was little thought given to the action. Suppose when the colonist arrived and saw there were people here they just went back to Europe. The industrial revolution would have by-passed the Native Americans and they would still be fighting among the tribes over territory and food supply. There are over five million Native Americans and 80% live off the reservation. About 25% live in poverty and many of those suffer from alcoholism and drug addiction but millions live productive lives striving for a better life for their children. There is much that can be done to improve their situation but tearing down a Columbus statue is not high on the list. Like any improvements for minorities one of the first steps is better education and better drug treatments.