Jackie Robinson Statue Defaced With Racial Slurs In Coney Island

Sometime in the night, the iconic Jackie Robinson statue located outside of Brooklyn Cyclones Stadium on Coney Island depicting Pee-Wee Reese putting his arm around his trusted teammate, was defaced with anti-black slurs and Hitler references. A manager at MCU park discovered the epiphets at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Among the graffitti were sentiments such as "Die n----r" and "Heil Hitler." Representatives of the Cyclones said they were outraged with the findings.

"The statue is a symbol of tolerance," Billy Harner, director of communications for the Cyclones, told the New York Daily News. "It's an absolute tragedy that someone would deface it the way they did."

The actions of Reese depicted in the statue is largely viewed as a gesture that encouraged peace during a time where the sport and many other institutions were segregated. It is believed that the crime occurred sometime after Tuesday night's Cyclones game. Workers scrubbed the slurs off the next morning and covered that part of the statue.

Robinson was the first black man to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He created a longstanding legacy in baseball. He died in 1972 at the age of 53. Police are investigating the case as a bias crime.