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Sculpture's theft reignites legacy of famed Tuskegee airmen
The Lt. Col. Jefferson statue in Rouge Park was placed in June this year. While thieves tore it down to steal some of the bronze from the sculpture this week, it has since been recovered.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - A statue of a famed Tuskegee airman that stood in Rouge Park was stolen recently. It has since been recovered, though not without damage.
But while plans are being made to restore the sculpture of late Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, the commentary around its revival has also sparked a larger discussion about the individual's legacy in Detroit and abroad.
"They are American heroes and Lt. Col. Jefferson was a personal friend," said Rochelle Riley. "He was someone that I wrote about years ago to remind people how important the Tuskeegee Airmen were, and their legend has grown in stature since then."
Riley is the director of arts and culture in the city. She spearheaded the project to honor Jefferson when the statue was erected in June on the city's west side.
It was built in the same place where Jefferson flew model airplanes later in life, next to an area aptly named Jefferson Plaza on Jefferson Field.
He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen and his unit, the Red Tails, escorted bombers into action in Europe. They lost so few planes that they were often requested for flying runs.
During his time abroad, he was shot down and kept as a prisoner of war.
Once he returned to Detroit, he helped found a local chapter of former pilots.
Earlier this week, Jefferson's statue disappeared from its home - raising questions about who could have been behind it going missing.
"I got the word late Wednesday that the statue was missing," Riley said. "We confirmed the artist didn’t take it down for anything, that our general services department didn’t have to do anything with it - we don't take down statues for cleaning or any reason, so we knew then that it had been stolen,"
The Detroit mayor confirmed Friday the thieves had been after the bronze in the statue. Two people have been arrested in the case.
Riley said they have been in contact with the original artist to see what can be done about bringing the statue back to life.