Defacing A Hero

Jackie Robinson is one of the most important men in American history. His struggle, perserverance and courage make him a true hero. Unfortunately there is still a racist element in this country that refuses to acknowledge his legacy. Living proof that where ever you find a hero you will also find a coward reveling in his ignorance.

A despicable act of vandalism sparked a chorus of outrage Wednesday after swastikas and racist slurs were found scrawled on the iconic Jackie Robinson statue outside the Brooklyn Cyclones stadium in New York.

A manager at MCU Park in Coney Island stumbled upon the defaced statue about 8:30 a.m., just hours before thousands of kids showed up at the ballpark for Camp Day.

Among the hate filled messages written in black marker on the monument of Robinson and his Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese were: “Hile  Hitler,” “Die N----r” and “F--k Jackie Robinson and all N------s.”

In a bid to help cops catch the hate-filled coward, the New York Daily News is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.

Investigators were poring over surveillance video Wednesday night.

The desecration drew fiery denunciations from a slew of politicians and former baseball stars including one of Robinson’s last living teammates, Ralph Branca.

“I have no idea why anyone would do that,” Branca, 87, told the local media. “The statue signified a great moment in American history.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer, in a surprise visit to the site, lashed out at the perpetrator.

“I hope you’re punished for what you did because what you did put a dagger in the heart of what America is all about,” Schumer said.

“That there are still people who don’t understand what Jackie Robinson stood for in his grace, and his strength and the beautiful person he was and to try and deface him, defame him by defacing this statue is just an act of . . . it’s beyond words to me,” he added.

Photos of the defaced statue show an image of a swastika above a Hitler reference and the word “N-----s” scrawled twice on the base, just above the inscription detailing the monument’s significance.

The bronze and stone statue commemorates one of the most touching moments in baseball history, and duplicitous slurs scrawled on it represent the lowest form of life in all of humanity.

PR