The Major Baseball League (MLB) has promised to help replace a statue of Jackie Robinson, which was stolen from outside a youth baseball complex in Kansas last month.
Surveillance footage from the night of Jan. 24 showed two men cutting the statue off at the ankles and loading it into a pickup truck. The remains of the statue were soon discovered after being set alight and cut to pieces Tuesday morning at Garvey Park in south Wichita.
Wednesday marked Robinson’s 105th birthday.
“How about this? Amazing, huh? During this emotional week, we are proud to report some great news. @MLB, which has been in touch with @League42ICT from the moment this tragedy became public, has formalized their support for our youth,” Bob Lutz, the executive director of League 42, wrote on X.
How about this? Amazing, huh?
— Bob Lutz (@boblutz) January 31, 2024
During this emotional week, we are proud to report some great news. @MLB, which has been in touch with @League42ICT from the moment this tragedy became public, has formalized their support for our youth.
Since news of the vandalism spread, donations for a replacement statue poured in. A crowdfunding campaign has raised has closed donations after raising $194,785.
The original statue cost $50,000 and was built by artist John Parsons.
“The community, along with the business community and the nation as a whole, have demonstrated an incredible outpouring of support,” Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan said in a statement. “This effort highlights the kindness of the people and their determination to rebuild what was taken away from our community.”
