Listen Live
Listen Live Graphics (Indy)

A statue of African American tennis legend Arthur Ashe has been defaced with the words “white lives matter” in Virginia. Richmond police say the vandalism was reported at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday. According to reports, the base of the monument was tagged with the words and the initials “WLM”, in white spray-paint. The Arthur Ashe monument was dedicated in 1996 to honor the Richmond native, who in 1963 became the first black player ever selected for the United States Davis Cup team. His statue is one of six on Monument Avenue in Richmond, with the other five commemorating Confederate veterans of the Civil War. The monument’s vandalism comes as several Confederate statues have been toppled, tagged or slated for removal in the city, amid protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.