Cops: Woman throws yellow paint on statehouse statue

BOSTON (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – A 38-year-old Quincy woman was arrested on Tuesday after she reportedly threw a can of yellow paint on the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial in Boston because it did not accurately depict history.

Rosemine Occean has been charged with willful and malicious destruction of property after she threw yellow paint at the memorial which is dedicated to the famed Massachusetts 54^th Regiment, as well as Shaw, the son of a white abolitionist family who led the regiment.

Police responded to the area of 25 Beacon Street around 4:10 p.m. on Tuesday after witnesses called to report that a woman had vandalized the statue.

Occean was still on scene when police arrived.  According to police, she had yellow paint on her face, hands, and clothing.  She was also in possession of a can of yellow paint.

The suspect told police that the statue which is located across from the Massachusetts Statehouse does not accurately reflect history.

Video from the incident showed paint all over the statue that faces the statehouse. A young girl also had paint in her hair and on her leg.

The statue serves as a memorial for Massachusetts losses during the Civil War.  The memorial was created by famed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and can be found on Boston's Freedom Trail.  It is one of the most visited sites in the city.

Cox Media Group