A statue of Frederick Douglass, one of America’s most prominent abolitionists and African American leaders, was torn down overnight in Rochester, New York during the Fourth of July weekend.

Rochester news affiliate WXXI News reported, “Rochester Police are investigating damage done to a statue of Frederick Douglass in Maplewood Park. It happened over the weekend, and police say that the statue was torn off its base, and left about 50 feet from its pedestal.”

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“The statue had been placed over the fence to Genesee River gorge and was leaning against the fence,” the report noted. WXXI added, “Police say in addition to the damage at the bottom of the statue, one of the fingers on the left hand of the statue was damaged. Aside from that damage, there was no graffiti on the statue or in the surrounding park.”

“The statue has been removed for repairs,” the report said. WXXI observed that the statue was “one of 13 Douglass statues that were placed around Rochester in 2018 in honor of his 200th birthday.”

One of the statues was vandalized by two teenagers in 2018, who claimed to be drunk when he committed the act and had no political motive. Frederick Douglass was a former slave who escaped to the North where he became an abolitionist leader and fostered friendship with President Abraham Lincoln. Rochester Police were not available for comment and no motive has yet been reported for why the the statue was torn down.

This piece originally appeared in ThePoliticalInsider.com and is used by permission.

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