Despite attempts to tarnish the legacy of Jackie Robinson, the Black man credited with breaking the color barrier in the MLB, a Wichita, Ks. baseball park is ready to reveal a brand-new statue in the athlete’s memory.
The Root previously reported on the theft of Robinson’s bronze statue. Back in January, a man was caught on surveillance camera cutting the statue of Robinson, only leaving his cleats. The statue was erected in McAdams Park, where about 600 children play in the urban youth baseball league named “League 42” after Robinson’s jersey number, according to AP News.
The statue was later found completely destroyed five days after it went missing. Outraged by the crime, the Wichita community took it upon themselves to raise money to bring back Robinson’s statue. The GoFundMe page raised almost $200,000, and six months later, the park will be home to a new statue of Robinson, once again.
Interestingly, the rebuilt statue is identical to the original. Bob Lutz, the League 42 executive director and co-organizer of the GoFundMe, said to ESPN “hopefully, people here— people all over the country— view us as we’re not being deterred.... we want to go right back to Jackie.”
The mold of the statue was created by Lutz’s friend, John Parsons, before he died in 2022. In addition to furthering Robinson’s legacy, the statue is set to also honor Parsons’ work.
On Friday Aug. 2, the suspected thief, Ricky Alderete, plead guilty to the theft and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to AP News. He was also ordered to pay $41,500 in restitution. However, Alderete will serve 15 years, on account of an aggravated robbery that occurred days after the statue heist, reported by the New York Post.
According to Alderete, the thefts stemmed from his addiction to fentanyl. “I let fentanyl take over me and made a lot of poor decisions. I am not going to deny that. I never meant to hurt anybody,” he said in court. “I am embarrassed, I’m ashamed. Whatever you do today I accept. I am ready for that.”
Seemingly apologetic for his actions, Alderete continued, “I believe I am where I am supposed to be right now because at the rate I am going, I might have been dead.”
To ensure Robinson’s statue remains in tact at McAdams Park, new security measures will be put in place, according to City Council member Brandon Johnson.
Efforts to protect Robinson’s statue will also help make the park that much safer for League 42 players and park visitors. “When you steal that statue, it wasn’t necessarily about stealing from us adults, it was the kids that play and practice and enjoy the sport,” Johnson told KSN News.
Robinson’s new statue is expected to be unveiled on Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 6pm in McAdams Park.