DENVER — Two pieces were stolen from the Martin Luther King Jr. monument in City Park, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission said.
Commission chairperson Dr. Vern L. Howard said a torch and a plaque honoring African American veterans were stolen from the monument.
The memorial, titled "I Have a Dream," was dedicated in June 2002 in the southwest part of the park.
Ed Dwight, the artist who designed the memorial, went to inspect the damage Wednesday.
“It’s mind-boggling, to tell you the truth. It’s not so much the physical part of it but it’s kind of the spiritual part for me, that somebody would violate this thing," he said. "And for what? Was it racially based, or was it based on just guys ripping this off to go sell it to somebody, to the metal dealers?”
Former Mayor Wellington Webb, who was mayor when the statue was dedicated in 2002, and his wife, former first lady Wilma Webb, held a news conference Thursday to discuss the vandalism.
"Whoever took it down, you're wasting your time, because all we're going to do is put it back up," Wellington Webb said. "You don't have enough money to keep taking it down. We're going to outraise you, we're going to outwork you, and we're smarter than you. So I say that the people of Denver are smart enough to know that this is a special city and a special place."
DPD said they have opened an investigation into the vandalism.
"DPD’s Bias Motivated Crime Unit is assisting with the investigation as we work to determine who is responsible for the vandalism and to determine if there is a bias motivated component," police said in an email.
Anyone with information that may help the police investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867 or visit metrodenvercrimestoppers.com. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
Metro Denver Crime Stoppers works by assigning a code to people who anonymously submit a tip. Information is shared with law enforcement, and Crime Stoppers is notified at the conclusion of the investigation.
From there, an awards committee reviews the information provided and, if the information leads to an arrest, the tipster will be notified. Rewards can be collected using the code numbers received when the tip was originally submitted.
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