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Controversial Bronx Monument Sparks Backlash Amid Professor's Firing

2/28/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Shellyne Rodriguez, a former CUNY professor, faces backlash over her $407,000, 23-foot monument Phoenix Ladder: Monument to the People of the Bronx.
Local critics label the structure an eyesore, and Frankie Santiago calls it "junk."
Rodriguez says she is a victim of right-wing media and that the artwork represents hope for the Bronx.
Rodriguez was fired from Hunter College after assaulting a reporter.

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Story summary

Shellyne Rodriguez, a former CUNY professor, faces backlash over her $407,000, 23-foot monument Phoenix Ladder: Monument to the People of the Bronx.
Local critics label the structure an eyesore, and Frankie Santiago calls it "junk."
Rodriguez says she is a victim of right-wing media and that the artwork represents hope for the Bronx.
Rodriguez was fired from Hunter College after assaulting a reporter.