Rochester: Another Frederick Douglass Statue Erected After Vandalism

A new monument depicting Frederick Douglass was erected in Rochester, N.Y. after a statue of the abolitionist was torn down earlier this month.

“Can you only imagine what it took to get here if you were an enslaved person?” said Carvin Eison, who leads the local Frederick Douglass historical committee, said in a ceremony. “What it must have felt like. Can you imagine how many good and kind people must have helped along the way?”

“Would you have been one of those people?” Eison asked.

Rochester Police are still investigating the yanking down of the Frederick Douglass statue in Maplewood Park on July 5.

WXXI News reported at the time:

The statue had been placed over the fence to Genesee River gorge and was leaning against the fence. Police say in addition to the damage at the bottom of the statue, one of the fingers on the left hand of the statue was damaged. Aside from that damage, there was no graffiti on the statue or in the surrounding park. The statue has been removed for repairs.

Police still do not have a motive.

In 2018, two students were charged with damaging a Douglass statue near Tracy and Alexander Streets.