Two statues of George Floyd have been defaced.
The statue in Newark, NJ and Brooklyn, NY were both discovered vandalized Thursday morning. Authorities believe the crime—which will be investigated as a hate crime—was committed by a white nationalist hate group.
Authorities are searching for four men seen on surveillance footage committing the crime at the Brooklyn statue unveiling on Juneteenth.
Footage shows the men spraying the statue and pedestal with black paint and marking the pedestal with their fascist, neo-Nazi group’s website, patriotfront.us. It also shows them near Floyd’s statue before and after the act.
There was no footage from the similar act of vandalism at Floyd’s Newark statue.
“New York’s new monument to George Floyd, which was unveiled in Brooklyn just this past weekend, on Juneteenth, is more than just a memorial for a father, a son, and a friend—it’s a testament to the grief, anger, and righteous energy that his murder sparked, in our state and across the country. It’s a beacon for all who believe progress is possible, and in our ability to make it happen,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said, per ABC 7.
“And to the group of neo-Nazis who did this, I want to be absolutely clear: get the hell out of our state,” Cuomo added.
It remains unknown if the two acts are connected. However, both will be investigated by authorities and cleaned up by volunteers.
The New Jersey monument is made of 700 pounds of bronze. The New York statue piece is made of wood, 200 individual sheets of plywood that have been cut and bound together.
Mayor Bill de Blasio also slammed the vandalism, calling it a “racist, loathsome, despicable act of hate.”
The defacing of the statues happened right before the conviction of Derek Chauvin, where he could get a 20 to 25-year sentence, though prosecutors are seeking 30 years.
