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Local / State

'Unconditional Surrender' Statue Damaged By '#MeToo' Graffiti

WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7 | By Lisa Peakes,
Mark Schreiner
Published February 19, 2019 at 5:39 PM EST
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Sarasota Police Department
Sarasota's "Unconditional Surrender" statue was damaged Monday by someone who painted "#MeToo" on it with red paint.

The Sarasota Police Department is investigating an act of vandalism to the city's "Unconditional Surrender" statue.

The figure is based on an iconic Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph taken in New York's Times Square at the end of World War II, featuring a nurse being swept off her feet and kissed by a Navy sailor.

Tuesday morning, officers found "#MeToo" spray painted in red along the length of the nurse's left leg.

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Credit Sarasota Police Department
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Sarasota Police Department
The "Unconditional Surrender" statue is based on an iconic Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph taken in New York's Times Square at the end of World War II.

Recent reactions to the photo and statue have been mixed since it was revealed Navy sailor George Mendonsa did not know Greta Zimmer Friedman when he grabbed her and kissed her in Times Square on August 14th, 1945.

Mendonsa passed away on Sunday.

Police believe the damage was done sometime after noon on Monday.

The approximate damage is estimated to be more than $1,000.

The statue had been temporarily removed for repairs in 2012 after it was struck by a car.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Sarasota Police Department at 941-954-7025 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS.

Tags
Local / State Unconditional Surrender#MeTooWorld War IIsarasota police
Lisa Peakes
Almost every day, I come before the microphone with the same enthusiasm as the Dani Rojas character in the “Ted Lasso” television series. I do 100 pushups, take some laps around the house, thank my supervisors and audience for giving me the opportunity to do what I love, bellow “Radio is liiiife” from the back steps, and bound back to my garret and get to work.
See stories by Lisa Peakes
Mark Schreiner
Mark Schreiner is the assistant news director and intern coordinator for WUSF News.
See stories by Mark Schreiner
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