Jackie Robinson Statue Vandalized with Swastikas, Racial Slurs

A statue of Jackie Robinson outside a Coney Island, New York baseball stadium was vandalized with swastikas and racial remarks by unknown vandals Tuesday night.

The remarks included “Heil Hitler” and the N-word written with a black marker, an MCU Park manager told the AP.

Robinson broke the color lines when he became the first black player in major league baseball. He spent much of his youth in Pasadena.

The vandalism ofstatue located at MCU Park in front of the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball stadium occurred sometime between Tuesday night at the end of a Cyclones game and Wednesday at 7:00 a.m., a spokesman of the New York City Police Department told CNN.

No arrests have been made yet, but the police and the Cyclones were already reviewing the survillance camera for a possible lead to the suspect, Brooklyn Cyclones director of communications Billy Harner told CNN.

The base of the statue will be covered for the mean time, according to the CBS New York. But the majority of the painted remarks has already been removed, Harner told CNN.

The statue symbolizes the historic moment when Brooklyn Dodgers’ Robinson, the first African-American baseball player to play with a modern-era Major League Baseball team, endured the crowd which taunted him with racist taunts, jeers, and death threats during a game in Cincinnati Crosley Field. Dodgers’ Captain Reese approached Robinson and put his arm around the shoulders of his teammate as a sign of support, silencing the hostile crowd.

“This monument honors Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese: teammates, friends, and men of courage and conviction,” said in the inscription on the base of the statue. “This simple gesture challenged prejudice and created a powerful and enduring friendship.”

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said in a statement that he has always been touched every time he sees the statue, CNN reported.

“Defacing the Jackie Robinson statue is a dagger in the heart to everything America stands for, and I hope those who are responsible are caught, punished, and taught why what they did is so disgusting and offensive,” the statement added.