The ceramic bust depicting Taylor’s smile was installed near the City Hall in downtown Auckland. The bust was fixed to the base of a plaque marked “Say her name: Breonna Taylor”.
But on a Saturday only two weeks after installation, fragments of the sculpture were found. The big chunks on the back and sides of the chest are gone, and Taylor’s ceramic face is partially missing.
The Oakland Police Department confirmed to CNN that although it has not found any potential suspects or motives, it is investigating vandalism.
The artist who created the bust, Leo Carson, told CNN that he considered it to be “racist aggression aimed at suppressing the struggle for black freedom.”
He said that when a follower sent him a picture of the crushed photo, he found that the bust was damaged in an Instagram message.
He told CNN that the act of sabotage was an offense to the motives behind Carson’s bust. He said that Carson was meant to “raise and encourage demonstrators” when protesters gather in central Oakland to organize against racism and injustice.
In order to prevent damage to the bust of Taylor in the future, Carson intends to change it to bronze through a donation of the GoFundMe page, which has exceeded its goal of $5,000.
Carson said when reaching the fundraising goal: “These saboteurs want to intimidate and suppress the black life issues movement, which shows that they are a minority, and we are thousands.”
Carson wrote on the fundraising platform that any remaining funds will be donated to Taylor’s family.
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