By: Hailey Stein 

On the morning of January 30, the Whicita fire department responded to a call about a trash can fire at Garvey Park, just 11 minutes down the road from Mcadams Park. After extinguishing the fire, the fire department found pieces of the statue inside the trash can. The Wichita police spokesperson Andrew Ford says the statue “is not salvageable at this time”. The Wichita Fire Department continues to investigate the arson committed, while the Wichita Police Department continues to investigate the theft that occurred. The Police Department and the community are sad and disgusted with the vandalism that occurred. The Police are urging those involved to turn themselves in to the authorities. They have recovered the vehicle that was seen hauling off the statue in the surveillance footage. 

Although the originally donated sculpture is not fixable at this time, the CEO and founder of League 42, Bob Lutz says that the mold for the original statue is still viable for use in making a replacement. Lutz also says that they intend to replace the statute in the upcoming months. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise donations for the new statue. The GoFundMe page has raised roughly $170,000, which more than covers the cost of the replacement sculpture. Bob Lutz also announced that the MLB committed to help fund the replacement as well. The extra money raised will go to the league and the pavilion where the statue is displayed. The improvement to the pavilion will go toward extra security measures. Jackie Robinson’s legacy will continue to live on.