WJCT program on Onate

At the time of writing this passage, I am viewing the arguments before the El Paso, TX city council about the colossal statue of Don Juan de Onate. Onate was a Conquistador in the area about 400 years ago, whose most notable feat was to kill 800 indigenous people, then enslave the rest and amputate the left foot of all adult males. He was later exiled to Mexico City, never to return.
The request to cease efforts on the statue are overruled.
(The statue was unveiled April 21, 2007 at a cost of around 1 million dollars.)
Also featured in the program are images of the less affluent parts of town. Interviews with the people who lived there reveal desire for parks, better roads, and the like. They often wonder aloud why 1 million dollars is being spent in statuary.
The people in the crowd at the unveiling are divided by opinion and skin color. Whites applaud the colossus and Native Americans protest loudly across the street.
What the hell is wrong with these people? When were Conquistadors EVER considered cool? Maybe in Spain. I can't wait for the completion of Geronimo.