DETROIT – A Detroit statue was found vandalized at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Washington Boulevard Saturday as racial unrest continues to shake up cities across the country.
The vandalized statue of Gen. Alexander Macomb is located in the Washington Boulevard Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places decades ago.
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There have been calls to take the statue down recently because of Macomb’s ties to slavery. It faces north on Washington Boulevard in Downtown Detroit.
The statue was found vandalized with the words, “Slave Owner Land Thief” spray painted with red on it after protesters held a rally in Detroit Saturday night.
On Saturday, activist group Detroit Will Breathe held a protest outside Detroit Police Headquarters in response to a federal judge’s order issued Friday that temporarily bars police from using certain tactics against protesters.
Saturday marked the activist group’s 100 days of protesting against police brutality in Detroit.
Similar protests calling for an end to police brutality have continued for months in other major US cities and were prompted by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by police May 25.
Since his death historic statues of controversial figures connected to racism and slavery have been vandalized and removed.
Amid the ongoing racial unrest and protests Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan ordered the city’s Christopher Columbus bust to be removed.