Earlier today, in response to citizen reports, city of Charleston police officers inspected the Denmark Vesey monument in Hampton Park and discovered significant damage to the statue's granite pedestal.
The damage is believed to have been caused between the hours of 12 p.m., Saturday, May 29 and 10:30 a.m., Sunday, May 30, by a vandal or vandals wielding a large hammer or similar object.
City officials have already begun planning repairs and Charleston police are investigating the incident. Citizens with information are asked to call 843-743-7200 and ask for the Charleston Police Department on duty central detective.
Mayor John Tecklenburg said, "As with other recent acts of vandalism against our city's monuments, we will repair this damage. We will work to punish those who did it. And we will never allow this kind of cowardly misconduct to divide our city or distract our citizens from the real and meaningful progress that we are all making together."