The overwhelmingly positive response to the destroyed statue of beloved baseball icon Jackie Robinson serves yet another reminder that sometimes, out of great evil comes great good.
As of this writing, donations to replace the destroyed statue have soared well above $145,000, nearly doubling the original bronze statue’s $75,000 value. As Breitbart News reported, the statue in Witchita’s McAdams Park was vandalized last week beyond repair:
The statue of famed Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson that was stolen from a Wichita, Kansas, youth baseball park has been found destroyed, according to reports.
The Wichita, Kansas, Police reported on Jan 25 that the statue was broken off from its mounting outside the baseball diamond at McAdams Park. Police also shared a video that showed the thieves stealing the statue before driving off.
The bits and pieces of the statue were found on fire in Wichita on Jan. 30 at 8:40 a.m. Once the fire was doused, officials discovered the smashed remains of the statue.
According to the New York Post, donations to replace the statue poured in from all over the country.
“Bob Lutz, executive director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture, said Wednesday in a message on X, formerly Twitter, that the MLB commissioner’s office and 30 clubs had committed funding toward the cost of replacing the statue and providing other support,” noted the outlet.
“Lutz had said earlier that the money raised also could enhance some of its programming and facilities. In April, the group opened the Leslie Rudd Learning Center, which includes an indoor baseball facility and a learning lab,” it added.
The largest donation of $10,000 came from an anonymous Major League Baseball (MLB) player who previously won a World Series. Witchita police Chief Joe Sullivan said over the weekend that arrests were imminent.
“The community, along with the business community and the nation as a whole, have demonstrated an incredible outpouring of support,” Sullivan said in a statement Wednesday. “This effort highlights the kindness of the people and their determination to rebuild what was taken away from our community.”
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.