The Jackie Robinson statue that formerly stood at a youth baseball field in Wichita, Kansas was found burned and destroyed in a park miles away, policeconfirmedon Tuesday. “Our community is devastated,” the Wichita Police Departmentsaid.
On Tuesday, the Wichita Fire Department discovered pieces of the statue burned beyond repair when they responded to a reported trash can fire at a park.
League 42 Foundation/X
Wichita city council member Brandon Johnson told reporters that his team was initially hoping to find a “complete and intact statue,” before the discovery. “We know now that we need to raise the money to replace it and we will do so,” he said on Tuesday morning, per KAKE.
Johnson added, “We will make sure that we find a way to get that statue back. We will continue to invest in this community, and this tragic incident will not remove that hope that we all have for the area.”
What’s left of the Jackie Robinson statue in Wichita.Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle via AP
Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle via AP
Police have spoken to more than 100 people as they search for the thieves, KAKE reported, but no arrests have been made yet.
Chief of Police Joe Sullivan urged the thieves, and anyone involved in the destruction of the statue, to come forward.
“For those of you who are in any way involved in this…this means whether you were involved in stealing the statue, whether or not you accepted the statue, you were part of the destruction of the statue … it is only a matter of time, and in your best interest, to turn yourself in, come forward, and admit your part in this,” Chief Sullivan said, per the outlet.
As the foundation works on the production of a new statue, League 42 has created aGoFundMeaccount to benefit the replacement. Any surplus donations will go to operational needs, including education programs. As of Wednesday morning, the fundraiser has over 2,500 donations totaling more than $122,000 of its $150,000 goal.
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On Wednesday, the foundation celebrated Robinson’s birthday. The iconic athlete died in 1972 at age 53.
“League 42 tries to embody the spirit of Jackie Robinson, our namesake, who was born on this day, Jan. 31, 105 years ago,” Lutz wrote in a message shared on GoFundMe. “As law enforcement searches for the culprits of this crime, we remain devoted to our mission of providing low-cost baseball and education opportunities for our 600 kids, ages 5-14.”
“They are as heartbroken over this theft as any of us and we are determined to replace the statue,” Lutz added.
source: people.com
