Statues unveiled in memory of George Floyd have been vandalized and police are investigating.
A bust of Floyd was unveiled in Brooklyn on Juneteenth. Days later, on Thursday morning, the base was found covered in spray paint, WABC reported.
Police said it happened overnight and they have surveillance video of four men they said are suspects in the statute’s defacing.
Black spray paint was left on the wooden bust while the black base was spray painted with the name of the group, Patriot Front, which, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, is considered a “white nationalist hate group,” CNN reported.
The statue is currently on display on Flatbush Avenue, but will be moved to Union Square in July, CNN reported.
>>Related: George Floyd statue dedicated at Newark City Hall
A similar vandalism case is being investigated in Newark, New Jersey.
The statue of Floyd that was installed at the Newark City Hall was also found covered in spray paint Thursday morning, News 12 New Jersey reported.
The statue’s face also had black paint on it with the same group’s name spray painted in white across the statue’s chest.
“This horrible act is the very reason that this statue needs to remain and be upheld. As this is not just about George Floyd, it’s a deliberate effort to push back against and ultimately dismantle systems of hatred, racism, and white supremacy,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement to News 12.
Both incidents happened a day before the police officer convicted of murdering Floyd was set to be sentenced. The prosecution has asked for a sentence of up to 30 years behind bars for Derek Chauvin, The New York Times reported. His attorneys are asking for probation. The maximum sentence is 40 years.
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