Former Parks And Recreation Actor Arrested For Allegedly Vandalizing NYC George Floyd Statue

Leslie Knope definitely wouldn’t approve of this behavior.

Actor Micah Beals was arrested earlier this week and charged with second-degree criminal mischief for allegedly vandalizing a statue of George Floyd in New York City, according to the official Twitter of the NYPD’s Hate Crimes division. The 37-year-old is an actor who performed under the name “Micah Femia” and appeared in episodes of Parks and Recreation and CSI: NY.

⚠️ARREST UPDATE for George Floyd Statue vandalism.

Arrested:
Beals, Micah
Male, 37
Manhattan

Charges:
Criminal Mischief 2nd @NYPDShea @NYPDDetectives @NYPDnews @NYPD13Pct @NYCParks @NYPDPBMS https://t.co/Kf8brfJnTs

— NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes) October 25, 2021

The vandalism was caught on camera, with footage shared earlier in the month of a man skateboarding by the statue and splashing it with gray paint (above). At the time, Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted:

“This act of cowardice and hate is reprehensible. I have directed @nyspolice Hate Crimes Task Force to provide any assistance in the investigation to find the perpetrator and hold them accountable.”

This act of cowardice and hate is reprehensible.

I have directed @nyspolice Hate Crimes Task Force to provide any assistance in the investigation to find the perpetrator and hold them accountable. https://t.co/qa4v18T63S

— Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) October 4, 2021

People reported that Beals had a prior criminal record: he was “arrested for a curfew violation in Washington, D.C., following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.” So… there may be a particular pattern of behavior here, and it doesn’t look great. The Daily News is reporting that as he was being released for the statue incident, detectives took him back into custody in connection to another case involving possession of an ammo clip. JFC!

Following Beals’ arrest, Confront Art, the organization responsible for installing the statue, released a statement on their Instagram (below), saying the vandalism was not “just an act of vandalism, but an act of hate.”