Actor on ‘Parks and Recreation’ and ‘CSI’ vandalized George Floyd statue, NY cops say
An actor who starred in small roles on “Parks and Recreation” and “CSI: New York” is accused of defacing a statue of George Floyd in New York City this month, police said.
Micah Beals, who uses the stage name Micah Femia, was arrested on criminal mischief charges Monday, the NYPD’s Hate Crime unit confirmed on Twitter. Surveillance video captured the 37-year-old splashing paint on the face and base of a statue honoring Floyd in Manhattan’s Union Square Park on Oct. 3, according to police.
He then rides away on a skateboard, video shows.
Floyd, 46, died in police custody on May 25, 2020, when then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, as three other officers failed to intervene. His death sparked massive protests across the U.S. and demands for racial and social justice.
Two other statues memorializing Floyd — one in Brooklyn and another in Newark, New Jersey — were also vandalized this year, one day before Chauvin was to be sentenced in Floyd’s murder in June, McClatchy News reported.
Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison.
Beals first appeared on “CSI: NY” in 2004 and landed another small role on the award-winning comedy “Parks and Recreation” in 2009, according to IMDb. He also starred in the 2013 film “Pop Star.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul decried the vandalism of the statue in Union Square Park as “an act of cowardice and hate.”
This story was originally published October 27, 2021 at 6:15 PM with the headline "Actor on ‘Parks and Recreation’ and ‘CSI’ vandalized George Floyd statue, NY cops say."