FACT CHECK: Does This Photo Show A Statue Of Jimi Hendrix Vandalized During Recent Seattle Protests?

Jonathan Fonti | Fact Check Reporter

An image shared on Facebook more than 4,200 times purportedly shows a statue of rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix in Seattle covered in graffiti from recent protests against racial injustice and police brutality.

Verdict: False

This photo shows vandalism that occurred in 2013. There is no evidence the statue has been recently vandalized.

Fact Check:

Numerous monuments and statues across the country have been vandalized amid protests after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died on May 25 in Minneapolis police custody, according to The Hill.

Facebook users recently shared a photo of the graffiti-covered Hendrix statue with captions that suggest the vandalism occurred during a recent protest in Seattle. The statue is located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, according to CBS News.

But the image actually depicts a vandalism incident from 2013. The Seattle Times included the photo of the Hendrix statue in an article that reports two young men spray-painted it in September that year. Police said the men, purportedly drunk, defaced several other structures in the area, CBS News reported.

“The Jimi Hendrix statue on Broadway was tagged Wednesday night on the anniversary of his death,” reads the Seattle Times caption. “The graffiti was removed Thursday.” (RELATED: Does This Photo Show The Lincoln Memorial Defaced And Damaged Following George Floyd Protests?)

Had the statue been spray-painted with graffiti during recent protests, it would have been picked up by media outlets, yet none have done so. A June 24 photo from Getty Images shows the statue adorned with a face mask but unmarked by graffiti.

Michael Oaksmith of Hunters Capital, the real estate firm that owns the building on the corner when the statue sits, confirmed in an email to the Daily Caller that it has not been vandalized.

Jonathan Fonti

Fact Check Reporter
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