Police Investigate After Newly Unveiled George Floyd Statue Vandalized in Union Square

New York police were investigating after a statue honoring George Floyd in Union Square, New York, was defaced with paint on October 3.

Media citing police said surveillance video showed a man with a black backpack riding a skateboard up to the statue and splashing the face with gray paint.

Nearby busts of late Congressman John Lewis and Breonna Taylor, a Louisville, Kentucky, woman shot and killed by police in 2020, did not appear to be damaged. All three sculptures were opened to the public on October 1.

Lindsay Eshelman, co-founder of Confront Art, the organisation behind the installation, told Storyful she ran to the statue as soon as she heard the news.

“The beautiful thing was that I got there and 5 strangers who were so upset had already gone to the store and bought supplies on their own and were ready to volunteer to clean. This statue was defaced by one, but rebuilt by the community.

“This continues to bring light to our mission that art is a conversation catalyst, a place for public discourse, and through these acts we can hopefully overcome hate and find unity for the future.”

Floyd’s murder in May last year by a police officer in Minneapolis sparked a wide-spread protest movement against police brutality and racial injustice. Credit: Lindsay Eshelman via Storyful