George Floyd Statue In New York City Gets Vandalized By Actor
Image ID 231211652 © via Warren Eisenberg | Dreamstime.com
Back in June, statues of the late George Floyd were installed across the country to commemorate the newly-instated Juneteenth federal holiday. The art pieces were hand-assembled by artist Chris Carnabuci, using pieces of plywood cut from 3D modeling software.
More recently, on September 30, three 10-feet-tall busts were unveiled in New York City’s Union Square Park, including one of Floyd. The others depicted Breonna Taylor and Representative John Lewis.
Unfortunately, a week later, it was reported a man had vandalized Floyd’s artwork and was arrested in connection with the crime. The New York City Police Department Hate Crimes Task Force said it was charging Micah Beals, a 37-year-old actor, with second-degree criminal mischief.
According to Newsweek, Beals has appeared in an episode of popular television series Parks and Recreation and CSI:NY, albeit under the stage name Micah Femia. He had been previously arrested in Washington, DC, for violating curfew on January 7, following the US Capitol riots.
The same statue is believed to have been vandalized back in June, while it was on display in Brooklyn, as per NPR, though the culprit of that incident is unknown.
Confront Art, the community organization part of the installation project, thanked the police department for arresting the suspected vandal. It said: “We do not consider this just an act of vandalism, but an act of hate.”
The NYPD released video footage of the alleged suspect, who turned out to be Beals, throwing gray paint onto the statue. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the act was “reprehensible.”
Once the incident was reported, the artwork’s producer and volunteers immediately got to work removing the paint, as per Gothamist. However, it seems the vitriolic act had already affected onlookers, such as a family who drove from Virginia just to see the exhibit.
“I was pulling by and I saw the paint, I instantly got emotional. It’s a representation of the country we live in. It’s racism, it’s hatred, ignorance all boiled into one,” commented Isaish Burke.
[via NPR, cover image via Warren Eisenberg | Dreamstime.com]
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