Community members speak out after State College removes memorial for Black lives
A top State College administrator offered a mea culpa Monday after the borough removed a memorial that commemorated Black men and women who were fatally shot by police.
The memorial established on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death was removed Sunday from the Martin Luther King Jr. mural, one day after Juneteenth.
The federal holiday celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.
“We regret that this happened. It was unintentional and we’ve made a commitment to help rebuild the memorial as it was with those in the community,” Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said during the Borough Council meeting. “We understand that there are many in the community that are hurt (and) upset about this. We do apologize for this very unfortunate event.”
The memorial was removed as part of “routine clean up” in the borough, a spokesperson said Tuesday.
Longtime borough resident Charles Dumas was one of about five people who addressed the memorial’s removal. He thanked Fountaine for his apology, saying “that kind of humility is one of the things that we’re going to need to get through this process.”
Others who spoke were more critical, including 3/20 Coalition members Melanie Morrison and Tierra Williams.
Morrison wished the grassroots organization was contacted before the memorial’s teddy bears, candles and flowers were removed, while Williams said it was “disturbing.”
The group plans to rebuild the memorial and host a candlelight vigil about 8 p.m. Tuesday.
“The borough has not only desecrated a sacred ground, but has shown the entire community that Black lives really don’t matter here, and that those murdered by the police can be picked up and thrown in the trash at any given moment,” Williams said.
Council President Jesse Barlow acknowledged the memorial should not have been removed without first consulting with those who erected it.
“In the future, we need to be sensitive to that, especially with regard to marginalized groups expressing memorials to people who have lost their lives to police violence and other violence,” Barlow said.
Councilman Evan Myers advocated for the borough to do more than recognize marginalized groups.
“This borough, its government (and) its representatives must do a better job of not just recognizing marginalized groups, but to be active participants in providing safe spaces for those groups (and) to voice their just concerns and aspirations,” Myers said.
This story was originally published June 22, 2021 at 11:57 AM.