Jackie Robinson statue defaced
Statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese defaced by racist graffiti.
IT WAS MOST likely Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning when a hater or haters decided to deface the statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese that stands outside MCU Park in Coney Island, home to the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets' Class A team.
According to 1010 WINS in New York, swastikas and racial slurs were painted on the statue, which commemorates one of the sport's special moments.
In May 1947, the year Robinson became the first black player in Major League Baseball, Reese, who was white, silenced a taunting, hostile crowd in Cincinnati by putting his arm around Robinson.
The statue, sculpted by William Behrends, was unveiled in front of the park in November 2005.
Billy Harner, the team's director of communications, told the radio station that the team is hoping the culprit was caught on video. The team, he said, is working with the New York Police Department.
Cyclones staffers discovered the vandalism yesterday as they arrived at the park to prepare for an 11 a.m. game.
"Immediately we went into action to try to clean it and remove the graffiti," Harner said.
Cleaning supplies, however, couldn't remove the paint so staffers covered it up with duct tape and what looked like a trash bag - two things that could be used on whoever committed this cowardly act.