Group protesting in support of statue for Grand Island WWII hero

On Saturday, about 10 protesters were standing on the pavement where a statue commemorating a World War II hero is suppose to go. 

The group was protesting the reason the statue is not there. 

The Niagara River Greenway Commission voted last year to support a statue of Private First Class Charles DeGlopper in the World War II Memorial on Grand island. 

The Grand Island native sacrificed his life to fight off units of the German Army so his fellow soldiers could escape during D-Day. 

The statue would be of DeGlopper holding a military style weapon in a firing position. 

The Greenway funding committee decided not to allocate grant money to this memorial. Some people believe it was denied because of recent mass shootings across the country. 

But a statement from the committee said there were many applications submitted for grant money this year and members had to make tough decisions. 

Grand Island Town Councilman, Mike Madigan isn’t buying it. 

“To rewrite history and to make war look like it's peaceful and it doesn't involve guns is not an appropriate depiction,” Madigan said. 

Nearly $450,000 is needed to complete this project. Supporters are trying to put pressure on law makers to make this happen or raise enough funds to do it privately.