WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The iconic rock that normally welcomes people into Romeo had sat on private land for more than four decades, but after it was vandalized with racial slurs, the owners wanted it gone.
Washington Township workers moved the rock Thursday morning to its new home at the Romeo District Library on Van Dyke. The billboard of goodwill for greetings, birthday wishes and celebrations had been a welcoming beacon into Washington Township.
In June, “Black Lives Matter” was painted on the rock, which started a volley of racial slurs and a back-and-forth struggle to control the message on the rock. Some local residents stood guard to protect messages of acceptance, inclusion and solidarity.
The rock’s original location was on the private property of a strip mall that’s currently being expanded. While plans were being made to move the rock by late 2021, the contentious back-and-forth made the land owners uncomfortable.
The library accepted Romeo Rock with open arms.