FERGUSON, MO (KTVI) – A tree planted at a Ferguson park Saturday in memory of Mike Brown then vandalized hours later, has already been replaced.
The damaged tree is still standing, replanted nearby.
A tree for another person was also vandalized. It too was replaced by Monday morning.
The dedication markers from both were stolen according to KTVI-TV.
People have been dedicating trees to loved ones in January-Wabash Park for years with markers placed next to the trees.
“It’s real sad day when a tree is dedicated and the next day someone comes along and destroys it just for the heck of it,” said Gerald Brooks of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA).
The group dedicated the tree and is holding its national conference in St. Louis this summer.
The group, which promotes library related careers among African-Americans, literacy initiatives, and also provides scholarships, dedicated the tree as a symbol of healing leading up to the conference.
There were Ferguson residents who wondered about whether it was proper for an outside group to dedicate a tree in Ferguson, no matter how well-intentioned.
The Justice Department cleared officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown. Attorney General Eric Holder said key witnesses in the case admitted to lying, forensic evidence backed the officer and it appears Brown never had his hands up and was charging the officer.
