The Richmond Police Memorial is a statue located in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
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's
Byrd Park
Byrd Park, also known as William Byrd Park, is a public park located in Richmond, Virginia, United States, north of the James River and adjacent to Maymont. The park includes a mile-long trail with exercise stops, monuments, an amphitheatre, an ...
, sculpted by Maria Kirby-Smith. The statue depicts a police officer holding a young girl, and a nearby plaque lists the names of 39 Richmond police officers killed in the line of duty between 1863 and 2003.
The statue was originally erected in Nina F. Abady Park in 1987, funded by the private Police Memorial Fund. The statue remained in this location, surrounded by overgrown shrubbery, until it was moved to Byrd Park in 2016. The move was spearheaded by retired patrolman Glenwood W. Burley, and cost roughly $24,000. The plaque was updated from 28 names to 39, to account for 11 officers that died in the 1870 collapse of the
Virginia State Capitol
The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government of the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third capital city of the U.S. state of Virginia. (The first two were Jamestown and Williamsburg.) It houses the oldest elected ...
.
Prior to its re-dedication that October,
the statue was vandalized with spraypaint reading "Justice for
Alton
Alton may refer to:
People
*Alton (given name)
*Alton (surname)
Places Australia
*Alton National Park, Queensland
*Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne
Canada
* Alton, Ontario
* Alton, Nova Scotia
New Zealand
* Alton, New Zealand, ...
." During the
2020 George Floyd protests, the statue was again vandalized, and was moved to an undisclosed location to avoid further damage.
References
External links
*
Buildings and structures in Richmond, Virginia
Law enforcement memorials
Monuments and memorials in Virginia
Outdoor sculptures in Richmond, Virginia
Relocated buildings and structures in Virginia
Vandalized works of art in Virginia
Monuments and memorials in the United States removed during the George Floyd protests
Statues removed in 2020
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