by Liz Mullen
The Manhattan Beach Police Department does not believe the theft of a bronze plaque at Bruce’s Beach Park was hate crime or racially-motivated, but rather part of a wave of bronze being stolen from cemeteries and monuments all over the greater Los Angeles area.
The Bruce’s Beach Park plaque was stolen sometime on Monday, Jan. 29, and the MBPD is working diligently towards finding it, or at least apprehending whoever stole it.
“It is very sad that these thieves fail to honor and respect history with this theft,” Manhattan Beach Mayor Joe Franklin said. “It is more than a piece of bronze, but rather an important symbol of community which enabled us to move forward.”
In 2020, the Manhattan Beach City Council formed a task force to research Bruce’s Beach which had been owned in the 1920s by Willa and Charles Bruce, who were Black. The task force found their race was an issue when the city took the land through eminent domain.
The city council drafted language which was on the plaque about the history of what was wrongfully done to the Bruce family.
However, MBPD does not believe the theft of the plaque had anything to do with the century-old controversy, and more to do with criminals who have been stealing bronze plaques all over Los Angeles County.
“Unfortunately, we join other cities in LA County that have endured the loss of historically significant bronze plaques,” Franklin said. “Our council condemns this pitiful act. The city will replace the missing plaque as soon as possible while our police department continues their intensive work to bring the suspects to justice.”
The MBPD is looking for video that may have been taken near the Bruce’s Beach plaque at the time it was lifted or any information about who may have stolen it.
Anyone with information is urged to call MBPD Detective Joseph Udeoji at (310) 802-5121 or Detective Sgt. Taylor Klosowski at (310) 802-5123. Those who wish to provide tips anonymously can call the Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers 24/7 Call Center at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Those phone lines are encrypted and calls are not recorded.
MBPD: WOMAN’S DEATH BELIEVED TO BE ‘TRAGIC ACCIDENT’:
The Manhattan Beach Police Department believes, at this time, there was no foul play involved in the death of Jennifer Hanie, a 31-year-old white woman from Los Angeles, who was found dead on the beach near the water’s edge a block north of the pier last Friday morning.
“As of right now, what we are looking at is a tragic accident,” MBPD Sgt. Andy Abreu told Easy Reader. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner is conducting a death investigation and, as of press time for this story, the manner of her death had not been established.
As ER previously reported, Hanie had been staying in a house on The Strand with two male friends that they had rented.
It is believed the group went out to the beach at about 3 a.m. “The last we heard, her boyfriend said they were hanging out by the water and when he turned around she wasn’t there,” Abreu said.
Anyone with relevant information about Hanie is asked to call MBPD Detective Sgt. Klosowski at (310) 802-5123.
MBPD TAKES 33 CRIME REPORTS: The Manhattan Beach Police department took 33 crime reports for the week of Jan. 18 through Jan. 24, including eight thefts, two vehicle burglaries, one commercial burglary and one assault.
RBPD RESPONDS TO FOUR STOLEN VEHICLE REPORTS:
Redondo Beach Police Department officers responded to two robberies, three commercial burglaries, five residential burglaries and four stolen vehicle reports during the week of Jan. 12 through Jan. 18.
In the two cases of robbery, the suspects did not show a gun, but made motions which caused the victims to believe they were armed.
None of the residential burglaries involved confrontations between the suspects and the residents. Three of the five involved suspects breaking into secured garages.
Car thieves stole a Kia Forte, a Ford F-350, a Chevrolet Silverado and a BMW 750LI Sedan. All the stolen vehicles were recovered by different police departments in the Los Angeles area.
HBPD RESPONDS TO ARRAY OF CRIMES:
Hermosa Beach Police Department officers dealt with an array of crimes during the week of Jan. 14 to Jan. 20, including a DUI and a drunk in public, both on Hermosa Avenue.
HBPD officers also responded to two cases of vandalism, including a vehicle in which the driver’s side window appeared to have been shot with a BB gun.
There were two different cases involving bicycles stolen and two vehicle burglaries.
Mark McDermott and Kevin Cody contributed to this report.
