Confederate monuments stored at the Department of Transportation Yard between 2017 and 2022 were vandalized, leading to an investigation.
Baltimore City's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAPS) was the organization in charge of the monuments, which had been removed in August of 2017, under an order from then Mayor Catherine Pugh.
The Executive Director visited the Yard in early September of 2022 and found that the monuments had been vandalized.
The City's Law Department notified Risk Management later that month. The damages were estimated at between $20,000 and $30,000.
CHAPS didn't pursue an insurance claim, but the OIG report will defer to City management to see if that decision violated procedures.
It took six months for BPD to respond to the yard and take a report on the vandalism.
The OIG report also noted that the DOT Yard wasn't fully secure and added that they'd received an anonymous complaint about the issue.
The Inspector General Report concluded that the Department of Transportation check the fence at the yard to make sure there aren't any gaps.
In November 2023, the monuments were sent to Los Angeles, where they are on loan at a non-profit art space called The Brick. They are part of an exhibit about monuments removed during civil unrest in American Cities and are not going to be restored for that exhibit.
