Googly Eyes On Savannah Nathaniel Greene Statue Make US Headlines

SAVANNAH, GA -- Georgia's first city got a lot of national headlines late last week and over the weekend when the local government posted an item on its Facebook page about the defacement of a public monument. Turns out that someone painted Googly eyes on a statue of Nathaniel Greene, a Revolutionary War hero, and while the defacement may look amusing, city leaders say its no laughing matter.

"Who did this?! Someone placed googly eyes on our historic #NathanaelGreene statue in #JohnsonSquare. It may look funny but harming our historic monuments and public property is no laughing matter, in fact, it's a crime," said the post. "We are hoping to find the person responsible! If you have information, please call Savannah Police Department."

While not from Savannah, Greene was given land in Georgia for his service during the Revolutionary War after becoming one of Gen. George Washington's most trusted advisors.

Savannah police spokeswoman Bianca Johnson told BuzzFeed News authorities were reviewing surveillance footage and that the crime technically would be trespassing.

“If we didn’t do anything this thing could get out of hand,” Johnson said. “We want people to understand we don’t want to see this kind of thing happening. They need to know they can’t go around doing whatever they want to our statues.”

Historic monuments all over the South have become a national issue of controversy in recent years, particularly those associated with the Confederacy.

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Major General Nathanael Greene (1742 - 1786) of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, circa 1775. Engraved by J. B. Forrest after a painting by Colonel J. Trumbull. (Photo by Kean Collection/Getty Images)