Actor Micah Beals was arrested on Oct. 25 for vandalizing a statue of George Floyd earlier this month. The 37-year-old actor, who is best known for his role in “CSI: NY,” was arrested and charged with criminal mischief and later released on his own recognizance. His court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 1.
The George Floyd bust was one of three sculptures placed in Union Square Park on Sept. 30 as part of Confront Art’s “SEEINJUSTICE” exhibition. Statues of Breonna Taylor and John Lewis were also unveiled and are on display until the end of October as part of New York City’s Art in the Parks program.
The artworks were created by artist Chris Carnabuci and each statue weighs nearly 1,000 pounds, skillfully crafted of 200 thinly-cut slices of African Mahogany, then topped with a coat of bronze paint. The sculptures will next travel to different cities throughout the country before finally being auctioned off with the proceeds going to charities that are affiliated with each of the three figures.
Beals is accused of defacing the sculptor with a gray, water-based paint on the morning of Oct. 3, NYPD detective Frances Sammon told CNN. The NYPD released surveillance footage of the vandal on Oct. 4 as well, showing a skateboarder going into his knapsack and pulling out a can of paint, which he threw at the new sculpture. Beal was previously arrested for a curfew violation during the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill Riots.
The cost to temporarily restore the bust was around $2,000 and the cost to fully restore it will be about $20,000, according to the complaint. Volunteers immediately purchased supplies and cleaned the sculpture after it was defaced, according to Confront Art co-founder Andrew Cohen.
“They went to the hardware and bought supplies out of their own pockets. This is inspiring teamwork and support from the community,” Cohen also told CNN.
