Fresh graffiti cropped up on two signs around Lake Calhoun a day after the Minneapolis Park Board voted to change the lake's name.
Vandals deface Lake Calhoun signs day after name change approval
"Let the community decide," one sign read.
By Haley Hansen, Star Tribune
May 6, 2017 at 12:44AM
Someone painted the phrase "let the community decide" in pink lettering across one sign. Another said, "This is our community."
Park maintenance workers found the graffiti at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, and paint shop employees started removing the graffiti shortly after, park spokeswoman Dawn Sommers said, though the graffiti was still visible Friday morning.
The park board voted on Wednesday to rename the lake Bde Maka Ska, a Dakota name meaning "White Earth Lake," after years of debate. Advocates of the change had argued that the lake shouldn't be named after former Vice President John C. Calhoun, who signed the Indian Removal Act. The lake was once the site of an important Dakota village.
The current lake signage includes both Lake Calhoun and Bde Maka Ska (buh-DAY, MAH-kah skah).
The name change isn't official until it wins approval at the county, state and federal level.
Park police are investigating the vandalism and ask that anyone with information call 612-230-6550.
Haley Hansen is a University of Minnesota student on assignment for the Star Tribune.
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Haley Hansen, Star Tribune
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