[MSN] Bronze statues stolen from Newark Silliman Center

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Bronze statues stolen from Newark Silliman Center
Rise in prices for scrap metal likely behind the vandalism
By Jonathan Jones, STAFF WRITER 

 
 
      
  THE FEET are all that is left of one of four bronze statues that were
stolen from the Silliman Community Center in Newark. (ANDA CHU - Staff)    
 
NEWARK - Miranda Miller said she always felt inspired by the $60,000 series
of life-sized bronze statues of children outside the Silliman Center. 
So she was shocked when she went to the center on Mowry Avenue early this
month and discovered that five of the statues, each worth an estimated
$15,000, had disappeared. 

We dont have a lot of art in Newark, Miller said. I really commend the city
planners for investing in the statues; it set the right tone. ... What a
pity that efforts at beautification and mood-setting were maliciously taken.
... (But) choosing to destroy (a piece of art) - how pathetic or desperate. 

All it took was a spike in the price of scrap metal. 

Across the country, communities are reporting an increase in metal thefts -
from manhole covers on roads and aluminum bleachers at stadiums to bronze
plaques at cemeteries and guardrails on highways. 

According to Newark officials who viewed surveillance video of the crime,
the thieves, dressed in black, parked in a nearby parking lot, then pried
loose the three statues in front of the building and cut down the two
statues of softball players. They left behind industrial cable pullers and
one statue, known as pony-tail girl, which was found in the back parking lot
because the suspects didnt have enough room in their vehicle, officials
speculated. 

Now all that remains of the stolen statues are a foot of the pitcher and two
feet of the batter connected to whats left of their ankles, along with two
pedestals. 

Police said they have no suspects. But its the type of crime that is leading
investigators to assume the bronze statues were stolen to be sold for scrap
metal. 

Its definitely the most significant act of vandalism since Ive been here,
said Dennis Jones, who has worked for the city for 11 years. Im amazed, like
everybody, that someone would do this. It speaks very poorly of them. 

In Livermore, Manteca and Fremont, police say the number of copper wire and
tubing thefts, as well as other metal thefts, has gone through the roof. 

On June 20, in an apparently unrelated case, Newark police arrested two men
ages 26 and 28, for stealing a large spool of copper from the Union Pacific
Railroad Yard off Sycamore Street. 

Were seeing a lot of copper theft, Fremont police Detective Bill Veteran
said. Copper pipes have been stolen from heating systems and air
conditioners. 

The series of statues was commissioned in 2000 by the city of Newark, with
the support of Fremont Bank, as part of its $22 million recreation and
aquatic center, which averages 700 users a day, according to the centers
staff. 

David Zehnder, recreation community services director at the center, said
the thefts have shaken his sense of security at the center. 

He said he has trouble trying to comprehend why anyone would go to such
lengths to steal the statues. 

I think this hit home personally for a lot of us who work here, he said. Its
sort of like getting your house broken into. Although we have a lot of
at-risk teens who use this facility, weve had no tags (graffiti) and no
vandalism here until this. 

Stacey Mason, recreation coordinator for the center and one of the staff
members who discovered the statues were missing, expressed anger and sadness
over the thefts. 

Why would anybody just take them? Mason said. Theyre so beautiful. They
helped create so much community pride. 

Although copper and aluminum prices are reaching record highs, just about
any large piece of metal can find a decent price on the black market -
including bronze, which typically is 

60 percent copper and 40 percent tin. 

Chuck Carr, vice president of member services for the Institute for Scrap
Metal Recycling Industries, told National Public Radio in June that the
increase in metal thefts is the direct result of record high prices for
scrap metal. 

He cited increased demand for metal from developing countries, including
China and Turkey, as well as a shortage of virgin - or previously unused -
metal. 

Newark city officials said they are already in the process of getting
replacement statues and hope to install them by the end of the year. 

Its the kind of art that I personally love, Mayor Dave Smith said. They
really made an impression on everyone who used the center. They were unique.
Its just such a shame. 


Jonathan Jones covers ethnic, religious and cultural issues. He can be
reached at (510) 353-7005, or jjones- 

@angnewspapers.com. Staff writer Roman Gokhman contributed to this report.