The Conversation (0)
Danielle Sinay
Jun 25, 2021
BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 19: A statue of George Floyd is unveiled at Flatbush Junction on June 19, 2021, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Mr. Floyds murder, at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, last year fueled a global movement for racial justice. The unveiling of the statue happened just days after Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
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A statue of George Floyd, unveiled less than a week ago in honor of Juneteenth, has already been vandalized by white supremacists.
Per HuffPost, the bust of the Brooklyn monument was defaced with black spray paint, atop of which was the name of far-right white nationalist group “Patriot Front.” The white nationalist group had already claimed responsibility for similarly vandalizing a mural honoring Floyd in Philadelphia in early June.
“Patriot Front is explicit in its exclusion of people of color from its conception of pan-European identity as the authentic America,” Susan Corke, the head of SPLC’s Intelligence Project, said of the group. “And their method of operation is to stage offensive racist propaganda stunts. Thus this abhorrent, hateful defacement of the George Floyd statue is more of the same garbage.”
The NYPD Hate Crimes unit is investigating the incident, though there have not yet been any arrests. “The investigation is ongoing,” an NYPD spokesperson said.
George Floyd’s brother, Terence Floyd, who attended the statue’s unveiling on Juneteeth, told HuffPost that this “is a perfect example of why we are so diligent in promoting change. As a community we should stand together in peace and in turmoil.”
New York City council member Farah N. Louis, who represents the part of Brooklyn in which the statue was erected, took to Twitter to condemn the vandalism, urging anyone with information to notify the authorities.
“This is a hate crime and it’s totally unacceptable to the memory of Mr. Floyd and to the Black community as well as our efforts to achieve #racialjustice and equality in America,” she wrote, adding in a second tweet that she will work alongside the artist, ConfrontART and the We Are Floyd Foundation to repair the damage.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio did the same, decrying the “racist, loathsome, despicable act of hate.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo shared a statement via Twitter as well, directing the Hate Crimes Task Force to assist in investigating the incident.
Cuomo’s message was straightforward. “To the group of Neo-Nazis who did this, I want to be absolutely clear: get the hell out of our state.”