A man vandalized San Jose State’s Olympic Black Power Statue by urinating and vomiting on it Saturday. 

The man, whose name was not released, was apprehended by SJSU University Police Department officers shortly after the incident. 

He was charged with vandalism, possession of unlawful paraphernalia and other misdemeanor counts.

When questioned by UPD officers, the man said he vandalized the statue under the impression that it was paying homage to human trafficking. 

“That shows you that his reality was a little different,” said UPD Capt. Frank Belcastro.

Officers concluded the man was not under the influence of substances at the time of his arrest.

The statue was not permanently damaged.

A passerby used a bluelight phone on campus to alert UPD of the incident.

The bluelight phones were placed all over SJSU to connect users directly to the UPD Communications Center. 

A passersby reported seeing the man vandalize the statue and promptly move to Clark Hall where they said he began pulling on the doors repeatedly.

UPD received a second call that night from another individual who said the man was trying to open the doors of Hugh Gillis Hall. 

The patrol officers on duty responded to the calls and searched for the man based on a description the first reporting party provided.

They found him a few blocks away where he ran from officers before being arrested.

Michelle Smith McDonald, SJSU’s senior director of media relations, said the man was charged with resisting arrest and had two outstanding warrants. 

Officers questioned the man to find out more about his motivations for vandalizing the statue. 

“Based on his statements he wasn’t targeting the statue for what it really represents,” Belcastro said. 

Belcastro said UPD has systems in place for patrolling and a designated camera on the statue to avoid similar incidents in future.

The Olympic Black Power Statue depicts Olympic athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 medal ceremony. 

The two SJSU alumni raised their fists in a political statement to draw attention to injustices faced by Black Americans in the U.S. 

Biology junior Angelina Craft said she heard about the incident in a campus-wide email sent out by Charlie Faas, SJSU Vice President of Administration and Finance.

“It’s really unfortunate and art shouldn’t be defaced,” Craft said. “I’m glad that they got the suspect.” 

This is not the first time the statue has been vandalized. In 2014, someone tried to steal the medal piece off one of the figures in the statue. 

Authorities never found the perpetrator but the statue has since been repaired.

Belcastro said UPD encourages people to report any suspicious activity they see on campus.