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Parks and Recreation actor Micah Beals has been charged with second degree criminal mischief after he allegedly vandalized a George Floyd statue in New York.
Video evidence obtained by CBS New York shows a man riding by on a skateboard as he throws paint on the statue. Local artists were able to clean off and restore the statue, but all damage could not be undone.
“We put it in two days ago, and 48 hours later here we are with vandalism,” Lindsay Eshelman of Confront Art told CBS New York.
“I know it hurts the Floyd family to see the son they lost, the brother that they lost, is being vandalized again,” Angie Onmars of Confront Art added.
After learning of the incident, New York Governor Kathy Hochul also condemned the act of vandalism and enlisted the state police to investigate the matter.
"This act of cowardice and hate is reprehensible. I have directed the New York State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to provide any assistance in the investigation to find the perpetrator and hold them accountable," Hochul tweeted.
"I am disgusted by the vandalism of George Floyd’s statue in Union Square. Mr. Floyd’s murder last summer ignited a nationwide movement for justice. The trauma of his tragic death should not be compounded by the trauma of seeing his memorial defaced," Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams added.
Three weeks after Hochul's tweet was published, a perpetrator was found. Previously, Beals was best known for his small roles in CSI: NY and Parks and Recreation. More recently, he made headlines for violating curfew during the January 6 riots in Washington, D.C.
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