Micah Beals is an actor also known as Micah Femia who was arrested in New York City after police say he vandalized the George Floyd statue in Union Square Park in October 2021. He was also arrested in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, on a curfew violation after the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol, records show. The NYPD says the 37-year-old Beals was charged with felony criminal mischief in the George Floyd memorial vandalism case.
The statue was vandalized by a man on a skateboard on October 3, 2021, according to the NYPD. The vandalism occurred just four days after the sculptures of Floyd, Breonna Taylor and John Lewis were put on display in the Manhattan park. The monument was previously located on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, where it was vandalized with black paint and a white supremacist logo in June, according to The Associated Press. No one has been arrested in connection to the first incident.
The exhibition is titled “See Injustice” and the statues were created by artist Chris Carnabuci. Confront Art and We Are Floyd, two of the groups who created the art display, told ABC 7 New York, “It takes a lot of courage to display the 3 statues we are exhibiting in Union Square. It also takes a good deal of courage to vandalize a statue on a global stage in broad daylight. This continues to bring light to our mission that art is a conversation catalyst, a place for public discourse, and through these acts we can hopefully overcome hate and find unity for the future. We continue to be inspired to create and display public art to further this important mission.”
Here’s what you need to know about Micah Beals, aka Micah Femia:
1. A Video Shows a Man Police Identified as Micah Beals Throwing Gray Paint on the George Floyd Statue While Skateboarding
The vandalism of the George Floyd monument occurred about 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, October 3, 2021, according to the NYPD. The police department said a man on a skateboard threw gray paint on the face and base of the Floyd statue. The NYPD released a video, which can be seen above, showing a man standing near the monument holding his skateboard and wearing a backpack. The man then skateboards past the statue and throws the paint as he goes by, the surveillance video shows.
Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd, said in a statement, “It’s incredibly disappointing how the statues were defaced in such a short amount of time, and it just goes to show you how far we still have to go to reach our goal of unity.” He told TMZ, “The hate is still real. … I want him to get what he deserves, but then I also want him to heal. Come over here and understand that we are not animals. We do not hate you. I walk around here, I could be hating police officers, but I don’t hate the police officers. I just know that there are bad apples in law enforcement, but all police officers are not bad.”
Terrence Floyd told TMZ he would want to sit down and talk to the suspect, “I want to change the narrative, we’ve got to change the narrative. We’ve got to heal together. If I can stand in the same court, not even six feet from Derek Chauvin and tell him how I feel, this is a cake walk.”
2. Beals Was Charged With 2nd-Degree Criminal Mischief in a Case Investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force
The George Floyd Statue in Union Square has been vandalized. Photos from my producer walking by this afternoon. @zacharyslater
The NYPD announced on October 25, 2021, that Micah Beals, a 37-year-old Manhattan resident, had been arrested and charged with second-degree criminal mischief in the Floyd statue vandalism case. It was not immediately clear when Beals was taken into custody and if he has been released on bail.
According to New York state law, second-degree criminal mischief is a class D felony. The law states, “A person is guilty of criminal mischief in the second degree when with intent to damage property of another person, and having no right to do so nor any reasonable ground to believe that he has such right, he damages property of another person in an amount exceeding one thousand five hundred dollars.” A class D felony carries a potential sentence of up to seven years in prison.
On 10/3/21, at approx. 10:15 AM, in Union Square Park, a person on a skateboard threw gray paint on the face and base of a statue of George Floyd. Info? DM @NYPDTips or ☎️ 1-800-577-TIPS.
@NYPDShea @NYPDDetectives @NYPDPBMS @NYPD13Pct @NYCParks @mayorsCAU
The case was investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force. But Beals is not currently facing a hate crime charge in connection to the incident. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has not commented about whether additional charges could be brought against Beals.
Details about Beals’ first court appearance were not immediately available. It was also not known if he has hired an attorney who could comment on his behalf and Beals could not be reached for comment by Heavy. The NYPD has not released any additional information about the arrest and investigation.
3. Beals, a Michigan Native, Was Arrested Under His Stage Name, Micah Femia, on January 6 in D.C.
Failed actor Micah Femia was arrested for curfew violation. Keep an eye out for him in pics. t.co/65mfl34c8v
Beals was arrested in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, on a curfew violation after the riot at the U.S. Capitol. A search of federal court records shows that Beals is not currently facing any federal charges in connection to the Capitol riot. The curfew charge was filed in D.C. court.
According to Metropolitan D.C. Police records, Beals was arrested under the name Micah Femia, his stage name. His place of residence is listed as Michigan, where he was born and raised. The case is still pending, according to court records viewed by Heavy. It was filed on January 7. The case is listed as “post and forfeit.”
According to the D.C. courts website, “if someone is arrested in the District of Columbia for certain traffic and a number of lower level criminal offenses, the DC Code allows the defendant to post and forfeit the collateral rather than having to appear in court, thus waiving his or her right to a trial. To post and forfeit is not an admission or adjudication of guilt as far as the Court is concerned.”
Beals is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has also lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Los Angeles and Venice, California, according to public records. According to WZZM, Beals, identified as Micah Femia, was one of at least seven people from Michigan arrested on January 6. Others have been charged in federal court in the months after the riot on more serious charges.
4. Beals Has Appeared on ‘Parks and Recreation’ & “CSI: NY’ & Is Also a Musician
According to Beals’ IMDB page, “Micah Femia was born as Micah Joel Beals. He is an actor and composer, known for Pop Star (2013), Parks and Recreation (2009) and CSI: NY (2004).”
Beals played Abraham in the 2013 movie “Pop Star,” and appeared as Len on the “Parks and Recreation” episode The Fight in 2011, according to his IMDB page. He appeared on “CSI: NY” in 2005 as “Lead Teen Boy” on the episode “Zoo York,” according to IMDB.
Beals’ resume on Actors Access shows he also appeared as an improv student in the Mike Birbiglia film “Don’t Think Twice,” was a swing drummer on “That’s So Raven,” and starred in the short film “Sati Shaves Her Head.”
Beals is also a musician and has posted music on YouTube and elsewhere. According to his resume, he has appeared in multiple TV commercials and has acted in theater performances in New York City, Chicago and Michigan. The commercials he has appeared in include Volkswagen, McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Direct TV and public service announcements against smoking and for drug free youth.
On a defunct Twitter page, under the username “TheLuminati,” Micah Femia promotes his Soundcloud, which has the same username, and wrote in his profile he is a “pacifist, sentimentalist.” He has not tweeted on that account since 2014 and an account under the name Micah Beals has never tweeted. No other social media or expressions of his political views online could be found.
5. Beals Has Previous Arrests in Michigan, California & Washington State
Beals has had previous run-ins with the law, according to online criminal records obtained by Heavy. He has prior arrests dating back to 2002 in multiple states, including his native Michigan, California and Washington state, according to the public records.
Beals was charged with driving with an expired registration plate in Kent County, Michigan, in 2002. In 2012, he was charged in that same county with malicious destruction of property. In 2014, Beals was charged in Kent County with driving without a valid license and giving false information to a police officer.
He was arrested in 2013 on a misdemeanor charge in Washington state and eventually pleaded guilty, but details of that case, including the crime he was accused of, were not immediately available. He was also arrested twice on citations in Orange County and Los Angeles County, California, but details of those cases were also not available.
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