A New York City tabloid and a non-profit have collectively offered a $50,000 reward for information on last week’s racist defacement of a statue honoring Jackie Robinson in Brooklyn, the Associated Press reported.
After The Daily News offered a $10,000 reward, the Jackie Robinson Foundation said on Friday that it’s received a pair of $20,000 donations — one from a board member and another from an anoymous donor — for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals.
The statue, situated outside a minor league baseball stadium in Brooklyn, was defaced last week with racial epithets, including swastikas and the words “Heil Hitler.” It depicts Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier, standing with teammate Pee Wee Reese. Police in New York City said they are treating the matter as a hate crime.
The hate speech was removed Thursday by the New York City Parks Department.
