‘Absolutely heartbroken’ NLBM president sees stolen Jackie Robinson statue in Wichita
The Jackie Robinson statue that stood outside League 42 in Wichita, which serves several hundred inner-city and low-income youth in its baseball league each year, was stolen Thursday.
The news reached Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick, who shared his feelings on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Absolutely heartbroken for my friends at League 42 in Wichita after the heinous destruction & theft of their beautiful Jackie Robinson statue that welcomed kids and fans to the baseball complex!,” He wrote. “I was in Wichita to support a fundraising event for League 42 in April 2022!”
One user on X asked Kendrick where they donate to help fund a new statue, and Bob Lutz, executive director and founder of League 42, said people can donate to their address, 1212 E. 17th St. North in Wichita.
The statue was stolen around midnight Thursday. A dark-colored, short-bed pickup truck was used in the theft.
What happened to the Jackie Robinson statue?
The statue, valued at $75,000, was taken by vandals who pulled up in a truck, cut the statue at the feet and made off with it. The statue had been paid for by fundraising efforts and is the centerpiece of League 42, which serves several hundred inner-city and low-income youth in its baseball league each year.
“This league has struck a chord which is why the fallout from this will be profound,” Lutz said. “I have no idea what the motive was ... Whatever it was was misdirected and shameful.”
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Lutz said a video camera on League 42’s building across the street caught the heist. The league, now in its 11th year, has already filled its slots for summer with a maximum 600 children on 46 teams.
Lutz estimates the statue, built by Lutz’s lifelong friend and sculptor John Parsons, weighed 300 to 400 pounds. There are other posters and signs at the park that point to Robinson, but the statue had been a focal and gathering place since it was installed in 2021, Lutz said.
Robinson, who wore number 42, was the first Black player to break the color barrier and play in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
Police are asking anyone with information on the theft to contact detectives at 316-268-4407, the See Something Say Something hotline at 316-519-2282 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111. Callers can remain anonymous with Crime Stoppers.
The Wichita Eagle’s Michael Stavola contributed to this report
This story was originally published January 26, 2024 at 5:34 PM.
