Stolen Jackie Robinson statue found burned, dismantled in trash can: Police

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: ABC News

January 30, 2024, 1:22 PM


A statue of baseball legend Jackie Robinson stolen from a Kansas park was found dismantled and burned in a trash can fire Tuesday morning in what authorities called a "disgraceful" act, as the search for the perpetrators continues.

The statue was taken from McAdams Park in Wichita last week. Surveillance video captured individuals entering Jackie Robinson Pavilion around midnight on Thursday, removing the statue and placing it in a pickup truck. They cut off the statue at the ankles, leaving behind only Robinson's feet, with damages estimated to be around $75,000.

Around 8:38 a.m. local time on Tuesday, the Wichita Fire Department responded to a report of a trash can fire at Garvey Park, according to Wichita police spokesperson Andrew Ford. After extinguishing the fire, they found what appeared to be pieces of the Robinson statue, "which is not salvageable at this time," Ford told reporters during a press briefing Tuesday.

The Wichita Fire Department is investigating the arson, while police continue to investigate the theft, Ford said. "It's really disheartening to see the remnants of the statue, the disgraceful way it's been disrespected," Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said during the briefing. "This is a direct indication of the pressure our investigators are putting on the perpetrators that committed this act." Sullivan urged those involved in any way to turn themselves in.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/stolen-jackie-robinson-statue-wichita-kansas-found/story?id=106797999

---

Reference - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143185188

[Vinca]

1. I would have thought its value would have been higher, especially if put in a sports auction.

What stupid people. They were probably going to melt it down and sell it for scrap, but they were even too dumb to do that.

[leftieNanner]

5. I read this as a racist activity

They wanted to destroy a black hero.

[Lifeafter70]

12. Yep

That's the way I read it.

[ShazzieB]

26. Me, too.

[peppertree]

35. And three guesses as to how said culprits vote...

[Attilatheblond]

24. And they have to be pretty friggin pathetic to take their rage out on a statue

Not just pathetic racist rage, but IMPOTENT pathetic racist rage. Very small, pathetic racists.

[czarjak]

45. John Roberts said racism is dead.

So...

[leftieNanner]

46. Oh yes.

And Nikki Haley said that too.

[Traildogbob]

52. Somebody

Ask Haley, what was the cause of this destruction? Watch and time her pause, before she says we are not. Racist country.

[NoRethugFriends]

6. Are you joking? It couldn't sell at an auction.

It's racists being racist.

[70sEraVet]

37. Vinca is just questioning the estimated value the police are putting on it.

I had wondered if they can hit the perps with a hate crime, rather than focusing on the monetary value. But i don't know if you could get hate crime charges over damage done to a statue.

[Vinca]

49. You really need to get a grip. I have expertise in selling art and antiques and I'm only

saying the statue should be valued higher than $75,000. Racism isn't coming into my thinking at all when I look at a well done sculpture and assess its worth.

[FSogol]

2. Hope they catch those assholes. A crime with no purpose other than hate. n/t

[rurallib]

13. I am thinking these guys ain't geniuses

So I am betting it will only take about a week to nab them.

They are probably bragging about it online by now.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

47. Oh yes and someone was probably stupid enough

to include a photo of the damaged statue as proof of their work.

[Harker]

17. Exactly! A hate crime. n/t

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. ...

Fucking nazi's.

[LiberalFighter]

4. Likely racist basis. Hope he is caught and convicted.

[Botany]

7. This does not tarnish Jackie's legacy at all but it does put a spotlight on the idiot or idiots for ....

….. being scum. Jackie’s statue will be back up by the start of baseball season and parents, teachers,
families, friends, and ball players will tell a new generation of young people the story of Jackie’s courage , racism, and that we all are just human beings who are all out of the Great Rift Valley in east central
Africa.

[Deuxcents]

8. Exactly. First thing I thought was they can destroy a statue but they'll never destroy his legacy

[Botany]

14. Jackie was not only a talented ball player but strong enough not to fight back despite all ....

… the crap he had to take by the parents, grandparents, or great grandparents of future
Trump voters. This act of ignorance just elevates Jackie’s greatness.

[Deuxcents]

15. Again, I agree

[Think. Again.]

9. I'd like to see...

...the statue not only replaced, but installed with an even more prominent memorial plaque specifically detailing the extraordinary achievement of a black man achieving such success at that time in our very racist American history.

If there's a gofundme or fundraiser for anything like that, I will gladly contribute.

[mopinko]

10. i wonder if the sculptor is still around.

there might even b molds out there, so it cd be recreated exactly w/o a ton of expense.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. Did a quick search and the sculptor was local to the city and passed away 2 years ago

https://www.ksn.com/news/local/league-42-founder-its-embarrassing-theft-of-jackie-robinson-statue-called-a-loss-for-wichita/

He apparently crafted it "by hand" so am not sure if he ever did a full mold cast of it.

His obit - https://www.kansas.com/news/local/news-local-obituaries/article262969568.html

[orleans]

21. see my post #20 below. there is a mold for that statue nt

[BumRushDaShow]

23. Fantastic news!!

Thank you!

[orleans]

20. good new regarding a mold

"Lutz, the nonprofit director, said there will be a new statue installed that will look exactly like the old one, which was made by his friend, the artist John Parsons, before his death. He said the mold is still viable and anticipated that a replacement could be erected within a matter of months."

https://abc7chicago.com/statue-of-jackie-robinson-stolen-wichita-kansas/14372791/#:~:text=He's%20considered%20not%20only%20a,John%20Parsons%2C%20before%20his%20death.

(might be the same link in the op -- but i googled)

[mopinko]

28. OUTSTANDING!

man, so many artist’s stuff just gets chucked when they pass. that’s a pretty good chunk of real estate. so glad he had a friend who cd do that.

[Think. Again.]

29. Excellent!...

...I googled "League 42", which is the non-profit organization that runs the youth baseball league at McAdams Park where the statue was stolen from.

From league42.org:

"League 42, named in honor of the great Jackie Robinson, the first African-American in Major League Baseball, is a youth baseball league comprised primarily of urban children ages 5 – 14. McAdams Park at 17th & Wabash (I-135 & 13th Street area) is home to the League and where we play our games. Practices are held at McAdams, too, as well as other baseball fields across the city."

On their webpage league42.org there is a link to facebook page about a fundraiser to help replace the statue: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fgofund.me%2F35084f68&h=AT2yQ3vVoWE5d8H68LWxoUEbog8WGkoX7LlPCp_JVXdC7tFKZNBQgkxRmqI1dnkHhg0Z9SD_CYr-T_WToo1ARYAc6KSdvRB4phlKi-AEqIQiUXEh-Z_5Ix5UXYEUYykp&s=1

I do not do facebook, but I am going to donate directly to the general fund of League42 at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=NXHW8MQTY6L24

[rickford66]

50. Good. Make a dozen or so copies to replace the Confederate statues.

[et tu]

22. now there should be multiple statues

many many many jackies- he is still fighting racism

[lastlib]

41. It would be BEYOND COOL if the result of these idjits' felonious act.....

was MULTIPLE statues of Jackie, placed all over the city and state!

[et tu]

44. absolutely!

[COL Mustard]

31. I wonder if the statue can be recast?

If the mold still exists, maybe.

[Think. Again.]

34. Yep! see the above posts!

[COL Mustard]

36. Thanks!

I hadn't seen those. Sometimes reading comprehension is just a suggestion.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Is this a hate crime? It wasn't stolen for brass scrap value /nt

[AllaN01Bear]

16. i concur

[orleans]

19. cops: "perpetrators, turn yourself in!"

perpetrators: "oh, okay"

[Sneederbunk]

25. Won't know if possible hate crime until perps identified.

[Aristus]

27. Is it time for Kansas to bleed again?

n/t

[Thunderbeast]

30. Similar to the destruction of the York bust in Portland.

Many historic statues of white men were toppled in the wake of the George Floyd disturbances... An act I think was wrong.

One of the destroyed statues was of Publisher Harvey Scott.. a racist product of his time.

A few months later, a guerilla artist placed a beautiful bust on the plinth atop Mt. Tabor. It was a beautiful painted plaster sculpture of York, a slave that traveled with the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. Most of the community immediately fell in love with the beautiful portrail of who may have been the first African to visit the west coast.

Some, however, were angry at the replacement of a white pioneer with a black explorer. The plinth was defaced with spray paint. One night, vandals destroyed the sculpture completely. The pedestal now stands empty as public art stewards debate the appropriate action.



https://www.opb.org/article/2021/07/28/portland-york-art-mt-tabor-racism/

[FakeNoose]

32. The original cost might have been $75,000 but the replacement cost must be much higher

I hope they find the perpetrator(s) and get every nickel.

[NBachers]

33. As the republican hate crime wave continues

[SouthernDem4ever]

48. They are pissed because they can't have their statues of Hitler.

[BaronChocula]

38. Seems like a lot of work

The time taken to destroy that statue could have been used to earn money to donate to Stink Bigly's legal funds.

[hlthe2b]

39. I wish I had the $$ to help them replace it. Hopefully someone(s) will step up.

So damned sad...

[70sEraVet]

40. When they DO replace the statue, i hope there is a sign.....

"To those who say that America has never been a racist country, Jackie Robinson faced threats and ridicule when he became the first black baseball player in major league baseball (MLB). And this statue stands as a replacement for the original statue, which was stolen and destroyed by those who attempted to desecrate his memory 77 years later."
THAT would be a fitting replacement!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

42. Some sick fuckhead

[wolfie001]

43. Security camera footage? WTF!

[IronLionZion]

51. These geniuses didn't even want money for the scrap metal

just pure hate.

[twodogsbarking]

53. Put Jackie back. Please.