DES MOINES, Iowa — Fire officials say a blaze badly damaged a former city hall building in Iowa and destroyed a makeshift Black children’s memorial is being investigated as “suspicious.”
The fire early Wednesday in Des Moines destroyed a memorial created last summer by the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement. It honored Black Iowa youth who have died in recent years.
Lt. Rick Thomas of the Des Moines Fire Department told the Des Moines Register that the fire is still under investigation and its cause has not yet been determined, but investigators believe the cause is “suspicious.”
The memorial was at the entrance to the 132-year-old former North Des Moines City Hall, which has been unoccupied for many years.
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