Michael Brown memorial tree is replaced

FERGUSON, Mo. — A tree that was planted in memory of slain black teen Michael Brown was replaced Monday after it was vandalized in a Ferguson park over the weekend.

Police say the original sapling was chopped off at the trunk at January-Wabash Park. Someone also took the concrete and metal dedication plaque at the base of the tree.

A second tree that was dedicated by a Ferguson resident to a dead pet also was vandalized.

Brown's death at the hands of white police officer Darren Wilson in August, sparked violent protests in Ferguson over the summer. In November, when a grand jury declined to indict Wilson, protests again erupted in Ferguson — and across the nation.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the city said in a statement that the tree, donated by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, was found damaged Sunday.

Police said they have not found witnesses to the vandalism and have no leads in the case, the newspaper reported.

Both saplings were re-planted Monday, and the plaque will be replaced later this week.

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