The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Denver’s City Park was vandalized this week in what appears to be a racially motivated act of destruction.
Several key pieces of the large bronze and marble “I Have a Dream” sculpture were stolen, including a bronze torch, a bronze angel, and a panel depicting Black military veterans. The memorial was designed by artist Ed Dwight and installed in 2002 to honor the famous civil rights leader.
“You can steal. You can take. You can pull. You can hate. But you cannot detour the message of Dr. King and this Commission. We will continue to march, to honor, and to work toward freedom, justice, racial equality and an end to discrimination.”
vern howard
Vern Howard, the chair of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission which oversees the memorial, was informed of the vandalism on Wednesday morning by a community member. Howard expressed his disappointment but said this hateful act would not stop the Commission’s work.
“You can steal. You can take. You can pull. You can hate. But you cannot detour the message of Dr. King and this Commission,” Howard said to the Associated Press. “We will continue to march, to honor, and to work toward freedom, justice, racial equality and an end to discrimination.”
In addition to the centerpiece bronze statue of King, the memorial features smaller bronze figures of Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass surrounding him. The missing pieces specifically focused on Black history and experience, suggesting the vandalism was racially motivated.
The Denver Police Department is investigating the crime through their Bias-Motivated Crime Unit. They will analyze evidence from the scene and attempt to determine if racial prejudice played a role in the memorial’s destruction.
The vandalism has sparked outrage and sadness among Denver’s African American community, who see the MLK Jr. Memorial as a symbolic landmark honoring civil rights progress. Many are hoping the perpetrators will be caught and held responsible for this disgraceful act of hatred.
But Vern Howard and the Holiday Commission remain undeterred. They say the memorial will be restored and King’s dream of justice and equality will live on in Denver and across the nation. This racially-driven vandalism will not succeed in erasing or destroying King’s powerful legacy.