Bruce's Beach memorial plaque stolen from Manhattan Beach monument

Bruce's Beach plaque stolen

The plaque on top of the Bruce's Beach monument was stolen. The Mayor of Manhattan Beach believes the theft is the latest in a string of thefts by thieves looking to make money off of recycled metal.

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. - Police in Manhattan Beach are searching for suspects after the plaque was stolen from the Bruce's Beach memorial monument overnight.

The theft of the plaque recognizing a time in Manhattan Beach's history that not everyone is so proud of is, to some like Rebecca McCullough, heartbreaking.

"My heart is broken to be quite honest," she said. "The uncovered history of Bruce's Beach in the African American community is quite celebrated."

After a much darker time, it was back in the early 1900s when the hillside leading down to the beach was covered in homes. Charles and Willa Bruce established a Black beach resort during a time when beaches were strictly segregated. As history goes, the surrounding white community was outraged, and eventually in the 1920s, the city took the property by eminent domain, razing the beach resort.

Decades later in 2022, the city of Manhattan Beach, in an effort to recognize what had occurred, created the monument with a plaque that included the words "The city's actions at the time were racially motivated and wrong… We reject racism, hate, intolerance, and exclusion."

Manhattan Beach Mayor Joe Franklin said, "We vowed to learn from it so it never happens again."

And, then the theft. Franklin doesn't think it was racially motivated. He thinks it feels like another case of metal theft; bad guys stealing metal, so it can be cashed in with a recycler for money.

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In recent weeks, several cemeteries on Compton and Carson were vandalized, with similar metal plaques taken from grave sites. Just last week, a statue of Marco Antonio Firebaugh was stolen from the front of Firebaugh High School in Lynwood.

"It's a shame and my fellow colleagues on the council are just really upset at the fact that someone would do this, presumably, for money," Franklin said. When asked why he thought that, Franklin said, "well, we've just seen this becoming more rampant around the county."

Several beachgoers agree, like one woman who said, "Yeah, that's what you unfortunately, naturally, assume that somebody is going to melt it down."

Jogger Devin Cooley said, "I just pray for those who stole it and I pray for those who are hurt and I hope everything is found out one day."

Police are asking for the public's help with any information that could help lead them to whoever stole the bronze plaque. Calls may be made to a tip line at 1-800-222-8477.