A statue of George Floyd in New York City’s Union Square Park, a memorial sculpture to honor the late victim of the racial injustice, was vandalized on Sunday, just two days after it was unveiled to the public.
The NYPD Hate Crimes department released footage of an unidentified person throwing paint on the statue while riding on a skateboard.
The police have reportedly begun the investigation into the event. Volunteers immediately came to the scene to help the restoration process.
Floyd was an African-American man from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a local policeman, while he was being arrested in May 2020. Footage of the arrest showed Chauvin pressing Floyd’s neck with his knee for 11 minutes.
Floyd’s death became the symbol of racial injustice in the United States. The incident eventually sparked the nationwide Black Lives Matter movement.
In June, Chauvin was sentenced Friday to 22.5 years in prison for his murder.
