This is the second attack on the Minneapolis memorial in the last five months. Located on Boom Island in Minneapolis, the memorial consists of a series of large mosaic panels next to a circle of benches. The panels tell the story of a survivor finding healing in community. Artist Lori Greene created the mosaic panels, which were installed in 2020.
“That was probably the longest time I've worked on a piece,” said Greene. “It took us five years to get that completed - much of it was fundraising and political.”
Greene says she’s quite sure the attacks are fueled by racism.
“The first time, there's a Black male in the fifth panel and he was hit repeatedly - his body was hit repeatedly - and this time a Black woman's face was completely removed.”
Greene is the owner of Mosaic on a Stick in St. Paul. For over 15 years she has made it her mission to create art on the topics of race and gender. She says this is the most important piece she’s ever done.
“At the time it was the first memorial to honor survivors of sexual violince in the United States,” she said. “And there are very few memorials that honor women and people of color at all. It's a sacred space. It's not just a big piece you go and look at, but a piece that you interact with.”
Greene says it’s devastating to see a place created for healing be attacked so violently.
“I'm still angry about it but I'm also really heartbroken,” she said. “I built this as a place of healing and not as a place of violence and I don't want people to be afraid to go there because violence has been committed there.”
Green says she plans to repair the mosaic before winter. Meanwhile the attack is under investigation. Anyone who has information is encouraged to contact the Minneapolis Park Police at 612-230-6550.