Submitted by Rhea Miller

In the late evening of Aug. 14, yet another party attempted to destroy the Black Lives Matter Memorial display on Lopez.

On Wednesday, Aug. 13, Dwight Lewis was arrested for deliberately trying to tear down the memorial. He was only able to destroy five of the signs before citizens passing by and a deputy stopped him. An earlier attempt at the destruction of the signs by a local couple had resulted in the signs being repaired by concerned citizens. This third attempt on Aug. 13, was successful in destroying all but two of the signs.

From 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the following morning, the owners of the property held a vigil in the sign carnage. Passers-by honked their horns in support of the signs, waved, and several stopped and joined the vigil. People expressed how much the signs had meant to them. Another gathering was held Sunday, Aug. 16, in the nearby area outside the community center to begin a community conversation, and renew the signs. The signs are scheduled to be removed on Sept. 22 with a ceremony.