Scoop: Philadelphia's Frank Rizzo statue may be returned to supporters

The people who paid for the Frank L. Rizzo sculpture removed from Center City in 2020 say they're close to having it returned, pending settlement of a long-running lawsuit.

Why it matters: The bronze monument of Philadelphia's former mayor and police commissioner remains a divisive symbol, and its removal was among the most visible changes sparked by racial justice protests following police's killing of George Floyd.

Driving the news: The city is poised to settle a state suit with the Frank L. Rizzo Monument Committee in the coming weeks, the group's attorney George Bochetto tells Axios.

• Once the deal is completed, Bochetto says the committee will retake possession of the 9-foot statue , currently in city storage.
• Bochetto added the city will pay an undisclosed amount of money to cover statue repairs.

What they're saying: "It's pretty much a done deal," Bochetto said.

• He said the committee plans to find a "suitable place to relocate it," most likely in South Philly.

City spokesperson Joe Grace declined to comment on the litigation.

Catch up quick: The statue, formerly outside the Municipal Services Building, became a flashpoint during the 2020 racial justice demonstrations when protesters defaced, attempted to topple and burn it.

• Former Mayor Jim Kenney issued an emergency order to remove it in June 2020 , citing a threat to public health, safety and welfare .
• People painted over a mural of Rizzo in South Philly , where he was from, in the wake of the protests.

Zoom in: The committee — which commissioned and donated the statue in 1998 — filed the lawsuit soon after its removal.

• It said the city's removal process violated the terms of a prior agreement and it was entitled to recover the work.

Friction point: Philly continues to reckon with Rizzo's legacy.

• He was a city champion and devoted public servant who cracked down on crime to supporters .
• But opponents, particularly those in the Black and LGBTQ+ communities, condemned Rizzo's aggressive police tactics and "law-and-order" policies — casting him as a symbol of racism, bigotry and unchecked brutality.

Mayor Cherelle Parker celebrated the statute's removal as a city legislator in 2020.

• "The statue represented bigotry, hatred, and oppression for too many people, for too long. It is finally gone," she wrote on social media after its taking down.

Zoom out: The city has stumbled in its attempts to remove controversial monuments in the wake of the social justice protests.

• Efforts to remove Christopher Columbus statues in South Philly's Marconi Plaza and at Penn's Landing have fizzled.
• Bochetto also was part of lawsuits to keep the Columbus statues.