The Daily Populous Friday February 2nd, 2024 morning edition
Authored by theguardian.com and submitted by twotwo_twentytwo

A historic statue of baseball trailblazer Jackie Robinson will be replaced after donations poured in after it was stolen from a Kansas park and found destroyed.

On Wednesday – which would have been the 105th birthday of Jackie Robinson – an online fundraiser raised more than $160,000 to replace a bronze statue of the baseball legend that was stolen from McAdams Park in Wichita, Kansas, the Associated Press reported.

Major League Baseball (MLB) and its 30 clubs have also promised to help restore the stolen statue of Robinson, the first Black baseball player to integrate Major League Baseball in 1947, MLB.com reported.

The fundraiser raised more than double the amount needed to replace the $75,000 statue, which was stolen last week from the public park.

Last week, the bronze statue was found dismantled. Robinson’s likeness had been cut off at the ankles.

Officials later found burning remains of the statue in a trash can in the park. Those responsible for the theft and vandalism have not been caught.

Police are unsure if the statue’s theft and subsequent vandalism were racially motivated.

The statue was originally commissioned by League 42, a little league non-profit named after Robinson’s jersey number. The non-profit oversees a little league team for youth in Wichita and supports educational programming.

Bob Lutz, the executive director for League 42, shared the latest update on the statue in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.

“How about this? Amazing, huh? During this emotional week, we are proud to report some great news. [MLB], which has been in touch with [League 42] from the moment this tragedy became public, has formalized their support for our youth,” Lutz announced.

“The Commissioner’s Office and the 30 Clubs have committed funding towards the costs of replacing our Jackie Robinson statue and providing other means of support of League 42,” he added.

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Among the larger donations was $10,000 given anonymously by a former MLB player who won a World Series, the Wichita police chief, Joe Sullivan, announced in a statement.

“The community, along with the business community and the nation as a whole, have demonstrated an incredible outpouring of support,” Sullivan said in a statement on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

“This effort highlights the kindness of the people and their determination to rebuild what was taken away from our community.”

In the statement, Sullivan also publicly called for those responsible for the statue’s removal to turn themselves in.