Monument’s Googly Eye Mischief Is ‘No Laughing Matter’ in Savannah

Mimi Nguyen Ly
10/15/2018
Updated:
10/15/2018

A vandal is wanted by the city of Savannah in Georgia for putting googly eyes on a historic monument of revolutionary war officer Nathanael Greene.

In Johnson Square, Nathanael Greene appeared particularly austere and wide-eyed for a time. The googly eyes have since been removed and there was no apparent damage to the statue.

Greene was a major general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and lived in Savannah after the war was won. His remains are buried in Johnson Square near the monument.

“Who did this?!” reads a Facebook post on the city of Savannah Government page dated Oct. 11. “It may look funny but harming our historic monuments and public property is no laughing matter, in fact, it’s a crime.”

“We are hoping to find the person responsible! If you have information, please call Savannah Police Department.”

Plenty of people have replied to the post, some with lighthearted comments, although not many were able to help with the request for further information:

“It disturbs me that I’m missing two mint condition, extremely rare, 1733 googly eyes from my collection. #googlyeyesmatter,” a comment by Kevin Olliff read.

“In the criminal justice system, statue based offenses are considered especially heinous. In Savannah, Ga, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Statue Unit. These are their stories,” Nikki Henderson wrote, as a reference to television series Law and Order SVU (Special Victims Unit).

“Dearest Catherine, the battle has been raging all day in the distance and I am unable to ascertain whether any thing has been gained or not. O how I long for this war to end. How I long for peace. How will I hail the day when I return to the bosom of my family. My Dear I hope to see you with my googely eyes,” Brett Turtleman wrote.

Police are searching for googly eye vandal who is wanted for criminal trespass—a misdemeanour offence in Georgia. Criminal trespass includes “defacing, mutilating, or defiling any grave marker, monument, or memorial to one or more deceased persons who served in the military service,” which applies to Greene.

Police are still investigating the incident. Those who have information are requested to contact the Savannah police tip line at 912-525-3124.

Just over a month ago, a Kuwaiti fish store was closed down after the business got caught using googly eyes to make their fish look fresher.
From NTD.tv
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