DENVER — Pieces that were stolen from the Martin Luther King Jr. monument in City Park this month are reparable, but "there's a lot of work to do on them," the monument's creator, Ed Dwight, said Wednesday.
Three pieces that were stolen from the monument were recovered after they were sold as scrap metal, the Denver Police Department said.
Denver Parks and Recreation maintenance staff noticed the pieces missing from the monument on Feb. 21 and reported the theft to police. Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said the police department sent out an alert to local scrap metal companies, and two days later, one of the scrap companies reported the stolen items had been turned in.
The large plaque stolen from the “I Have a Dream” monument was cut into four pieces before it was sold to the company, police said. The investigation found the thefts from the memorial happened between 3 and 6 a.m. Feb. 18.
Police said they are looking for two suspects in connection with the theft. They identified one of those suspects as Herman Duran, 67. They are still working to identify the second suspect.
Police said seven bronze pieces from the Joseph Addison Thatcher Memorial fountain in City Park were also stolen and sold. Investigators recovered those pieces and returned them to Denver Arts and Venues, which manages both monuments. Police believe the same suspects were responsible for both thefts.
“We will continue that investigation to determine what their specific motive was, but it does seem at this time as though their motive was just to get money," Thomas said at a news conference Wednesday.
"I will say though, that shame on them for not understanding the historical and cultural significance of this particular monument to this community, and I think that certainly indifference can be just as harmful as hate," Thomas said. "And so I’m thankful that there was no indifference on the part of the Denver Police Department to actively investigate this case. Certainly no indifference on the part of the community to raise their community voice and let people know how significant and hurtful this particular act was. And thankful for the scrap community who was not indifferent either and made sure they reported what was turned in to them."
Regardless of the vandals' motivation, former state Rep. Wilma Webb said, these types of crimes cannot continue.
"All of these trends should stop," she said. "And we who care about America and care about American heroes and about progress of our city and our state and our nation should not have these kinds of acts going on now."
Dr. Vern Howard, chairman of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission, said the three pieces that were taken from the monument have been sent to the Ed Dwight Studio to be worked on.
Dwight said Wednesday that the pieces are "all reparable," but "there's a lot of work to do on them." He said it could take three months before the repaired pieces are back in place. It's unclear how much the repairs will cost.
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The MLK Colorado Holiday Commission has been fundraising to replace the stolen pieces since the vandalism was reported. Community leaders said the money raised – nearly $10,000 so far – will help pay for repairs to the memorial and for security, more lighting and surveillance cameras around the memorial.
Anyone with information that may help the police investigation can 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.
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