A statue of José Martí was found vandalized in Miami, prompting response from U.S. Rep. Carlos A. Giménez.
The bust of Martí, a Cuban writer considered a national hero for his role in securing the island’s independence from Spain, was found destroyed on Tuesday, outside Municipios de Cuba en el Exilio (or Municipalities of Cuba in Exile, in English) at 4610 NW 7th Street.
Pictures shared by the organization and Giménez show the statue on the floor, completely removed from the top of a monument, which also sustained damages.
Miami police said the vandalism was reported on Thursday at around 10:17 a.m.
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🚨I FULLY CONDEMN THE PATHETIC, HATEFUL ATTACK AGAINST OUR CUBAN EXILE COMMUNITY IN MIAMI.
“This is absolutely a profound act of hatred towards the civil and patriotic organizations that are legally established in this exile community and particularly our organization that was established in 1963,” a statement from Municipalities of Cuba in Exile reads.
Police did not provide further information about the vandalism.
Giménez said in a post on X that he fully condemned the “pathetic, hateful attack against our Cuban exile community in Miami,” adding that the perpetrators “must be brought to justice!”
Dwyane Wade is now the first Miami Heat player with a statue outside the team’s arena, although many of his fans are unsure if it is a fitting tribute.
The Heat unveiled the statue Sunday, eight months after team president Pat Riley announced plans for the tribute. Wade, a 13-time All-Star, is Miami’s all-time leading scorer, and he and Udonis Haslem are the only players to have been on all three Heat teams that won NBA championships.
“This is crazy,” Wade said at the unveiling. “I wanted to feel this. Life goes by so fast and it’s very rare that we get to feel things, because we’re always off to the next thing. … I wanted to feel this, man. I wanted to look at it.”
Others were less that gushing about the statue, which bears only a passing resemblance to Wade, and compared it to an infamous rendering of Cristiano Ronaldo that attracted widespread ridicule.
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“Man who the hell is this??? The Miami Heat did Dwyane Wade filthy with this statue lmao,” one user wrote on social media.
Another referenced Wade’s move to the Chicago Bulls towards the end of his career. “When Pat Riley won’t give you max money so you have to sign with the Bulls,” they wrote.
Others suggested the statue looked more like the actor Laurence Fishburne than Wade.
Wade, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, is one of six former Heat players to have their number retired by the team – along with Haslem, Chris Bosh, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning.
“As the greatest player ever in Miami Heat history, yes, it’s his day, it’s his family’s day,” Riley said.
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The statue is accompanied by a wall listing Wade’s career accomplishments and has been placed outside the front doors of the team’s arena. Wade is now a part-owner of the Utah Jazz in addition to having many other business interests.
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