By Natalie Herr ‘25
On the morning of January 26, 2024, a statue of Jackie Robinson was stolen from its home at McAdams Park in Wichita, KA. Jackie Robinson is known for breaking the color barrier in MLB in 1947 and being the first African American to play in the MLB. Many little leagues in Wichita practiced in McAdams Park and looked up to that statue and the story behind it.
After the statue was stolen on Thursday morning, only the bronze shoes remained. A few days later the police received a report that a park 7 miles away had a trash can with a fire inside of it. When officials arrived at the scene charred pieces of the statue were found with ash.
At this time, the thieves are unknown. The security footage couldn’t make out anything, not even the gender of the culprits. The only thing it did make out was that there were at least two people at the scene. The police have not yet released what tools they used to remove the statue.
The town of Wichita was furious. Thirteen days later, they’re still eager to find out who stole and ruined the statue and bring them to justice. According to NBC News, “Many people want to find those folks before law enforcement.”
Many aren’t sure about the motive for this crime. Everyone has their speculations, with the majority having to do with Black History Month. Many think the statue was stolen and destroyed because Jackie Robinson was of African American descent, and he made a place for himself in history. However, there isn’t much evidence to prove the true motive.