An actor has been arrested and charged for defacing a statue of George Floyd in New York City’s Union Square.
Micah Beals, 37, was a small-time actor who once appeared in “Parks and Recreation”. He allegedly threw paint on the sculpture around 10:15 am on October 3, according to police.
“This act of cowardice and hate is reprehensible,” New York Governor Kathy Hochu tweeted. . “I have directed @nyspolice Hate Crimes Task Force to provide any assistance in the investigation to find the perpetrator and hold them accountable.”
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force shared in a Tweet that it had charged Beals with second-degree criminal mischief for allegedly tossing silver paint on the face of the statue.
The NYPD reportedly identified Beals from a video of the vandalism, showing a white man with a skateboard throwing paint on the statue, which was part of a touring art installation called SEEINJUSTICE.
Following the bust, several media outlets, including The Hill, identified the Manhattan resident as a struggling little-known actor whose stage name is Micah Femia.
According to his IMDb page, the actor has appeared in small roles in several short films and TV shows, including Parks and Recreation, CSI: NY, Pop Star, Don’t Think Twice, Lip Service, and That’s So Raven.
The Floyd statue is one of three in Union Square Park that debuted at the beginning of the month. The installation includes similar bronze busts of Breonna Taylor and John Lewis.
Breonna was the 26-year old black medical worker who was shot and killed by Louisville police in March 2020, and black civil rights leader John Lewis, who died last year.
According to a criminal complaint, it will cost $2,000 to temporarily restore the bust and about $20,000 to fully restore it. Volunteers began cleaning the paint from the Floyd bust after it happened.
According to data from the Metropolitan Police Department, this is not Beal’s first arrest. He was previously arrested for a curfew violation in Washington, D.C., following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
The former actor was arraigned shortly after midnight on Tuesday for the Manhattan offense and released on his own recognizance.
This month’s incident wasn’t the first vandalism of the statue memorializing Floyd, whose murder by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020 led to nationwide protests demanding police accountability and reform.
It was also vandalized just days after it was first unveiled on Juneteenth in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. It was eventually moved to Union Square.
Confront Art, a community arts organization that helped organize the installation, thanked the NYPD for their work in a statement released on Instagram.
“We do not consider this just an act of vandalism, but an act of hate,” The organization says. “Although the defacing of the statue was a disappointing day, we’ve experienced 30 days of true community building, joy, and positivity from New Yorkers and visitors alike, and no vandal can deter from that.”