(WBAL) — Police in Maryland are trying to determine who defaced and stole part of a Harriet Tubman statue.
The statue of the former slave turned abolitionist stands outside the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis.
"It's a beautiful statue," said a pedestrian.
"What would someone want with that stuff? What are they going to do with that?" asked another pedestrian.
The museum's executive director, Chanel Compton, is asking the same thing.
"We suspect that on Friday evening or early Saturday morning, persons dismembered the finger of Harriet Tubman to take the véve, which is the staff Harriet Tubman was holding attached to the statue," said Compton.
Installed in Sept. 2022, the monumental statue, Araminta with rifle and véve sits in front of the museum on view along Franklin Street in Annapolis.
Joyce Scott, a well-known critically acclaimed artist from Baltimore, created the staff.
"She's heartbroken that someone would do something like this to a piece that means so much to African-American history," said Compton.
Compton says they are working with Annapolis police and going over videos in the area.
"If they have any information please contact the local authorities, to contact our institution and let's work together to uncover this precious piece of art," said Compton.
