'38 Dakota Warrior': Bronson Park's newly unveiled Abraham Lincoln statue vandalized
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A new statue placed in downtown Kalamazoo has already become a victim of vandalism.
Less than 48 hours after city leaders unveiled a 7-foot-tall statue of Abraham Lincoln in Bronson Park, the statue was found covered in red spray paint Tuesday.
Written on the base of the statue was "38 Dakota Warrior," a statement referring to a case during the U.S. Dakota War of 1862 in which 38 Dakota men were hung at Mankato for their alleged participation in the war, according to the Minnesota Historical Society.
Lincoln had reviewed trial transcripts for all 303 men accused of participating in the war and sent 39 names to Henry Sibley, the man responsible for creating a commission that began trying those accused.
Only 38 men were executed on Dec. 26, 1862, including two of those who had been mistakenly hanged, according to Minnesota Historical Society.
Originally, it was meant to be 39, but one of the men within the group had been given a last-minute reprieve, society members wrote.
Lincoln's statue was meant to honor the former president, and his trip to Bronson Park, in which he gave a speech against the expansion of slavery in the United States.
As of Tuesday, the person responsible for vandalizing the statue remains unknown.