These are photos I took earlier in the year when I noticed this memorial in the neighborhood of the church where we, Des Moines Mutual Aid, fill about sixty boxes of food to distribute to those in need.
Then I heard reports about a fire at the memorial.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KWWL) — Fire officials say a fire that badly damaged a historic Des Moines building turned makeshift Black children’s memorial is being investigated as “suspicious.”
The fire early Wednesday morning destroyed a memorial created last summer by the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement. It honored Black Iowa youth who have died or gone missing in recent years.
The memorial was at the entrance to the 132-year-old former North Des Moines City Hall, which has been unoccupied for many years. BLM does not own the building but is using the damage to call on residents to replenish the memorial with red, yellow, and purple flowers.
‘Suspicious’ fire damages Black children’s memorial in Des Moines, Associated Press, June 24, 2021
This morning after working with my friends at the Des Moines Mutual Aid food giveaway, I took the following photos.
Quakers, social justice and revolution 