A white nationalist memorial has been removed by Minneapolis police earlier this week. The memorial was put up to commemorate Justine, Ruszcyk Damond, the Australian-American woman who was shot in July by a Somali police officer. Damond, 40, had called 911 to report a possible rape behind her home, when she was shot by Officer Mohamed Noor. She was unarmed and wearing pajamas when she was killed. Just last week Justine's family had expressed their concern that the shooting wasn't being investigated properly.
The memorial, which was erected on Friday (Dec. 23) by the California-based white nationalist group Identify Evropa, featured a framed photo, candles, roses, and signs. The group called it a “shrine,” and tweeted a photo of the display, calling out her shooter’s immigrant status. It’s worth noting, Identify Evropa was among the groups that helped organized the white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Va. in August. They're also the ones responsible for the "You will not replace us" chant.
Minneapolis officials condemned the monument. “We cannot allow any memorial and anything like that to be put up at that location," said Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder on public radio.
Minneapolis Mayor-elect Jacob Frey said, "Identity Evropa and those who share their values have no place in our city. Hate has no place in Minneapolis. Period."
