The community in Kansas City, Missouri, came together on Saturday to show support and clean up a statue of a fallen officer after 150 protesters from the night before allegedly vandalized it.
The Kansas City Star reported that 11 people were arrested in the protest.
The scene was disheartening for the many volunteers who agreed to help clean up and support law enforcement, but they came out in full force.
“I was horrified,” Joshua McDonald told KMBC. “It is hard for me to understand why people want to come through, and they want to desecrate a memorial to officers who have fallen defending them.”
The Kansas City Police Department said the statue honors 119 KCPD officers who gave their lives protecting the city.
After the protests, Mayor Quinton Lucas posted on Twitter that he was “saddened” by the vandalism to the city’s monuments.
Several people gathered outside police headquarters Saturday morning to show support for law enforcement and to help clean off the spray paint.
Outside the headquarters on Saturday, Lucas reiterated his disappointment with the previous night’s protests and felt those responsible were using the Black Lives Matter movement for their own purpose.
“I think the type of person who comes here and paints a memorial to deceased people who died in the line of duty is the type of person who has no respect for any institution,” Lucas said. “They’re not interested in making black lives better in Kansas City.”