Society's Child

Michael Brown memorial tree destroyed, plaque stolen within a day of being dedicated in Ferguson

Mark Berman
Washington Post
Mon, 20 Apr 2015 03:53 UTC

A tree dedicated to Michael Brown over the weekend in Ferguson, Mo., was damaged within a day, while a plaque accompanying the tree was stolen, according to the city. This tree, a sapling, was purchased by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association in Chicago. It was dedicated in January-Wabash Memorial Park on Saturday to Michael Brown, the unarmed 18-year-old shot and killed by a white police officer in the summer.

Another tree in the park, this one purchased by a resident in honor of a dead pet, was also damaged over the weekend, the city of Ferguson said in a statement Monday. The plaque at the base of that tree was stolen as well. While police believe the trees were broken and the plaques stolen overnight on Saturday, it could have happened any time before an officer patrolling the area noticed it Sunday, the city said.

"Officers canvassed the area talking to anyone who might have seen or heard anything related to the incident," the city's statement said. "No witnesses were located, and at this time police have no leads. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and the City of Ferguson is replacing the trees today." New plaques will be in place later this week, the city said.

Ferguson has erupted in heated protests multiple times since Brown was killed by Darren Wilson, a police officer, in the summer. A grand jury ultimately decided not to indict Wilson last year, while the Justice Department announced last month that after a lengthy review, they found evidence that corroborated Wilson's account and declined to pursue federal civil rights charges.

This is at least the third time that a memorial to Brown was destroyed. In September, a memorial on Canfield Drive, not far from where Brown was killed, was destroyed by a fire. A car hit and destroyed a memorial in December.

Comment: One has to wonder who's destroying all the Michael Brown memorials. Are these inconsiderate pranks by kids or something more sinister? Fans of Darren Wilson and those folks who hate minorities would be the better bet in this situation.

Reader Comments

katesisco · 2015-04-23T14:18:43Z

Shocking infor.....

on the front page of the NYT. Shortly after the Nobel prizes were awarded, the Times revealed that there is an entire complement of young black men missing from the communities of America. Where are the young men only 1 for every 2 black women? In Ferguson. This is racism tuned for profit. Shame, shame, shame.

Jean Michel · 2015-04-23T14:45:34Z

I'm a firm believer in providence and sometimes the Universe itself takes a hand in situations like this where the amount of emotion involved creates such a vacuum that incidents like the ones described here are bound to occur.

There are so many people focused on the Michael Brown issue who are misaligned in their beliefs and have attached a lot of emotional energy to the whole situation. It only makes sense to me that anything involving this situation should act as a lodestone for perceived negative occurrences.

My first impression from reading this article is that these were truly random occurrences and not actually planned vandalisms.

Perhaps its the fact that another tree in the same park received the same treatment as the Brown tree. Perhaps it's that the timing of this incident seems so coincidental.

Whatever the case may be, I think that this could be a cosmic notice to all that are involved in the false protests and childlike logic that have blown this situation all out of proportion.

Perhaps that message is that there has been a gross injustice served in the world that we need to address and it is not related to officer shootings but rather it is related to the schism that is being created between those that seek to serve themselves and those who truly want to make the world a better place.

Anger and hatred do not coincide with tolerance and understanding.

eyesoftheworld · 2015-04-24T08:22:01Z

Out of proportion?

What would be the correct proportion for repeatedly wrecking memorials to this young man? Wow - if you can't see the pattern .... the "Universe" expresses itself through the media of actions by living beings. Some of these living beings have pathological thinking. This often forces them to consort mostly with their own kind... like certain lines of work - brokerage, police, banking. Thinking in these beings is so primitive. They lack the conscience to edit their behavior. They lack common sense and the ability to foresee consequences. This is another in a series of important moments that CAN be used to awaken non-pathological people to the truths of their society.