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'Unconditional Surrender' Statue Damaged By '#MeToo' Graffiti

Sarasota's "Unconditional Surrender" statue was damaged Monday by someone who painted "#MeToo" on it with red paint.
Sarasota Police Department
Sarasota's "Unconditional Surrender" statue was damaged Monday by someone who painted "#MeToo" on it with red paint.

The Sarasota Police Department is investigating an act of vandalism to the city's "Unconditional Surrender" statue.

The figure is based on an iconic Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph taken in New York's Times Square at the end of World War II, featuring a nurse being swept off her feet and kissed by a Navy sailor.

Tuesday morning, officers found "#MeToo" spray painted in red along the length of the nurse's left leg.

The "Unconditional Surrender" statue is based on an iconic Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph taken in New York's Times Square at the end of World War II.
Credit Sarasota Police Department
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Sarasota Police Department
The "Unconditional Surrender" statue is based on an iconic Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph taken in New York's Times Square at the end of World War II.

Recent reactions to the photo and statue have been mixed since it was revealed Navy sailor George Mendonsa did not know Greta Zimmer Friedman when he grabbed her and kissed her in Times Square on August 14th, 1945.

Mendonsa passed away on Sunday.

Police believe the damage was done sometime after noon on Monday.

The approximate damage is estimated to be more than $1,000.

The statue had been temporarily removed for repairs in 2012 after it was struck by a car.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Sarasota Police Department at 941-954-7025 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS.

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Mark Schreiner has been the producer and reporter for "University Beat" on WUSF 89.7 FM since 2001 and on WUSF TV from 2007-2017.
Lisa Peakes is the local host of NPR's All Things Considered on WUSF 89.7.