Bryan Devasher
Richmond Times-Dispatch
RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Police Memorial statue in Byrd Park was vandalized Wednesday, an act that Chief Alfred Durham labeled “cowardly” and “disheartening.”
The statue, which was moved to the park less than three weeks ago, was sprayed with red paint and a message apparently referring to the recent police shooting of a black man in Louisiana.
A passer-by reported the vandalism about 6 a.m., Durham said. A large red X was painted on the torso of the 8-foot-tall bronze statue, which depicts a Richmond officer carrying a child clutching a teddy bear. The officer’s face also was splashed with paint.
“Justice for Alton” was sprayed on paving stones at the base of the statue, apparently a reference to Alton Sterling, who was fatally shot during a scuffle with two police officers July 5 in Baton Rouge, La.
By noon, those words had been erased. Earlier Wednesday, Deputy Chief Steve Drew said the statue was expected to be cleaned within 24 hours.
“This is a cowardly act,” Durham said at a news conference at the memorial site. “It’s very disheartening.”
The memorial was moved from Festival Park near the Richmond Coliseum to Byrd Park on June 24.
In addition to the statue, the memorial features a plaque listing the names of the 28 Richmond police officers killed in the line of duty from 1863 to 2003. It was created by artist Maria Kirby-Smith and dedicated May 16, 1987.
Durham said the vandalism only adds to a tense week for Richmond officers, who have been on edge since a gunman opened fire on a protest in Dallas last Thursday, killing five officers. That protest was one of many nationwide after police shot and killed two black men — Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minn., and Sterling.
Over the weekend, Richmond police received an anonymous phone threat that later turned out to be a hoax.
“These are trying times for law enforcement, but we’re doing everything we can ... to make sure we don’t have those incidents that we see across the country,” Durham said.
“What we don’t want is for (officers) to be so on edge that they make a mistake,” he said.
The vandalism came a day after police met with the community in a forum at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School.
“One thing I can say with confidence is that we don’t have the issues that are surrounding other law enforcement agencies (in the country),” Durham said. “We have a wonderful city, a diverse city.”
As an example, Durham said, there has been an outpouring of support in the wake of the vandalism, with several residents bringing flowers to the memorial.
Retired police officer Glenwood Burley, who spearheaded the effort to move the statue to Byrd Park, called the vandalism a “disrespectful act” against Richmond officers both living and dead.
“This is despicable to come here and deface this beautiful memorial,” the former patrolman said, noting that he had served with several of the fallen officers whose names are on it.
Burley said this was the first time the memorial has been vandalized.
Finding those responsible for the vandalism will be a challenge because there are no surveillance cameras trained on the memorial, Durham said. Cameras across the street from the statue are pointed at the Byrd Park reservoir.
“That’s something we’re going to look into now,” he said.