A gigantic statue of Harambe, the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla who was fatally shot after picking up a 3-year-old boy who climbed into his enclosure in 2016, appeared on Wall Street Monday across from the Financial District's iconic charging bull.
The 7-foot-tall bronze statue was placed in Bowling Green Park opposite the Charging Bull, which was surrounded by 10,000 bananas, in a demonstration about the growing wealth gap.
Organizers of the demonstration are from the Sapien.Network, a developing social platform "dedicated to putting the needs and welfare of human beings first." They tell NBC New York that Wall Street itself has gone "bananas," out of touch with the needs of everyday people.
Harambe represents the millions who struggle under a capitalist system that "enriches wealthy elites and leaves the average person behind."
Sapien.Network co-founder Robert Giometti told NBC that his group is not about rejecting capitalism. He says it's about reforming capitalism with a conscience and steering it towards empowering more people.
"Harambe is a representation of something that lets us look at more than just ourselves. What are we aspiring to as people?" he explained. "It's about connecting. A simple gesture of giving a banana builds community. As a society, we need to come together. We can’t keep fighting to come together."
Sapien.Network adds that the bananas used Monday morning will be donated to local food banks and community pantries.