A memorial to first responders killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks is now being repaired, after vandals spray-painted it. Police escorted the horse statue — named "Freedom" — from its spot on I-490 Tuesday morning. 

On Trowbridge Trail, it was the kind of commotion not usually seen in the Pittsford neighborhood. It was where Rochester police had some important work to do. Police cars lined the street, and a large trailer was parked in the driveway of Bob and Madelyn Whiteside.

What You Need To Know

  • A memorial erected to honor fallen 9/11 first responders is being repaired after it was vandalized last week

  • The horse statue "Freedom" raised $44,000 for families of fallen first responders in a post-September 11 auction, and had been located near I-490

  • Rochester Police Lieutenant Richard Waldo noticed the vandalism

  • It was taken to creators Bob and Madelyn Whiteside for repairs

Inside the garage was a large red, white, and blue fiberglass horse statue. 

“Everybody knows that horse,” said Madelyn Whiteside.

For 19 years, “Freedom” stood tall on I-490 heading into downtown Rochester. It’s become a Rochester landmark. Last month, while driving to work, Rochester Police Lieutenant Richard Waldo noticed someone defaced the horse using red spray paint.

“It actually hurt me to the core,” said Waldo, a 20-year police officer and U.S. Army veteran.

Spectrum News first reported the vandalism last week.

The horse statue was created by the Whitesides as a tribute to fallen first responders following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It was one of nearly 180 horses that went on display around Rochester that year as part of a community spirit-building effort called “Horses on Parade.”

“I drive by it every day,” said Waldo. “I'm proud to be an American. The flag stands for something, and it means a lot to me. To get it fixed means even more."

Police escorted the horse from 490 to the Whitesides' garage. They were the original artists, and will be in charge of restoring the statue. 

“We were saddened by it,” said Madelyn Whiteside. “But we were the painters. We knew we could turn that around."

“Freedom” already needed a little work. Nineteen years of wear and tear will do that. The repairs are being paid for by Dixon Schwabl, the local ad agency which was the creative mind behind Horses on Parade. 

The horse statue raised $44,000 for families of fallen first responders, in an auction held after 9/11.

For Waldo, who discovered the vandalism, the project has special meaning.

“I've said it several times: This is the pinnacle of my career,” he said. “If I can get this horse back up in working condition, I'll be the happiest cop alive. This is what it means to me."