Breonna Taylor sculpture vandalized in Oakland

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A new sculpture honoring Breonna Taylor was vandalized in Oakland, California over the weekend.

Breonna Taylor Sculpture vandalized

The Oakland Police Department is now investigating the incident as an act of vandalism.

The sculpture made by artist Lee Carson to honor Taylor and had been installed only two weeks earlier in Oakland’s Latham Square.

The 26-year-old EMT was shot and killed in her apartment by Louisville police officers in March,

Artist Lee Carson hoped to energize the Black Lives Matter movement

Carson told KTVU that he hoped the piece would energize the Black Lives Matter movement.

Carson said that he has visited the square several times since the work was found defaced on Saturday and that it appears to be an “act of racist aggression.”

“Art matters, and these vandals know it,” Carson said.

“That’s why they felt compelled to attack her, and it’s the same reason anti-racist protesters have been tearing down statues of Confederate generals.”

The statue is made of clay, concrete, wood and foam, and was installed in the downtown area. Along with a statue of Taylor, it includes the words “say her name Breonna Taylor”.

Carson told KGO that he intends to repair the statue as soon as possible and he may cast it in bronze this time.

Breonna Taylor Sculpture GoFundMe

As of Monday, a GoFundMe campaign to recreate the sculpture surpassed its $5,000 goal. Carson said he is donating the additional money to Taylor’s family.