Campus Safety and Security confirmed that the shield from the Blue Jay statue outside the Fresh Food Café (FFC) was stolen at 12:45 p.m. on Monday. The perpetrators have been identified, and the shield has been returned.
Mark Long, Campus Safety and Security Investigations Lieutenant, gave a statement on the status of the investigation.
“JHU Campus Safety and Security has identified three individuals who have said they were responsible for removing the shield,” Long said. “The Campus Safety and Security investigation is over. The shield has been recovered. The case has been referred to the Dean of Student Life’s office, who will investigate to determine if a violation of the Student Code of Conduct has taken place.”
Freshman Ramya Prabhakar saw the shield being carried into Wolman Hall.
“I was giving a housing tour,” Prabhakar said. “They just walked through the front door with [the shield] and went through the turnstiles.”
Upon hearing news of the shield’s disappearance, Larcia Premo, an instructor at the Center for Visual Arts who created the statue, reacted to its theft.
“I’m distressed to hear the shield is gone,” Premo said before the shield was returned. “It would take tools and work to get it off. I hope it’s on camera and they can get it back.”
The Blue Jay statue was placed in front of the FFC last fall and aims to serve as a platform for free speech on campus. In March, the statue incited debate after the phrase “End Israeli Apartheid” was painted on its shield.
At the time of the controversy, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger explained the initial purpose of the Blue Jay statue in an email to The News-Letter.
“It is a place where students are able to express views, sentiments and criticisms anonymously,” Shollenberger wrote. “As it says on the Jay plaque, many of these postings are expected to promote the ‘Blue Jay spirit.’ Others may consist of provocative speech; We know this kind of expression will be met by counter-speech or, most likely, painted over by other students.”
However, not all students have had such positive responses to the Blue Jay statue. Some have gone so far as to suggest it should be removed.
“I hope they get rid of the statue entirely and plant a new tree,” freshman Morgan Balster wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Freshman Harsh Wadhwa echoed the sentiment.
“I think it would have been a better prank if they took the Blue Jay and left the shield,” Wadhwa wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Freshman Emma Lee thought the prank was bound to occur.
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” she wrote in an email to The News-Letter. So many people were saying it would be funny if someone stole the shield. It was going to happen eventually. I see stealing much like I see stunts like peeing in Wolman elevators — silly and also kind of inevitable.”
Kelsey Ko and Rollin Hu contributed reporting.
