Denver-based sculptor Ed Dwight is celebrating after his “I Have a Dream” memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. in City Park has been repaired eight months after thieves ripped off metal panels to sell for scrap.
“It feels very good to have it back to its original condition,” Dwight, 91, said.
Dwight, who spent his early career as one of America’s first Black astronauts, not only led the repair effort on the memorial, but also played a major role in catching the thieves.
Sculptor Ed Dwight poses for a portrait in front of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. monument in City Park in Denver on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. Vandals stole a bronze panel depicting Black Americans who fought in U.S. wars and two decorative bronze emblems, one next to an engraving of the monument’s title. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
“I’m very familiar with the junk dealers that buy metal,” Dwight said. “So I contacted all the metal dealers and told them to go ahead and buy the stuff and then I’d buy it back from them and pay them a little extra which is what I did…
“Through luck the pieces ended up at one of my main suppliers who took pictures of the (sellers) and their license plate and we gave that to the police and it helped aid in the arrest,” Dwight said. Online court records verify that Dwight and Shawn Adams, an employee from Denver Scrap Metal, gave the police details that led to the arrest.
Once Dwight had the metal back in his studio he and his team got to work to weld the pieces back into their original condition.
The defacement of the “I Have a Dream” statue drew attention from some of Denver’s leaders like Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and former First Lady Wilma Webb as some questioned the motivations of stealing elements from the monument of the late Civil Rights leader.
The crime was originally investigated in part by the Denver Police Department’s Bias-Motivated Crime Unit. However, since the metal was recovered from scrap metal purchasers that element of the investigation was closed.
Herman Duran, 67, and Robert Duran, 47, were arrested earlier this year in connection with the theft of the pieces and the defacement of the memorial. Herman Duran has a scheduled hearing for Nov. 7. Robert Duran has a hearing set for Oct 17.
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The King statue in City Park is one of Dwight’s first sculptures. “I have done several Dr. King memorials and this has been by far the largest…and one of my best designs,” Dwight said. He worked on this design for years alongside Willa Webb and Coretta Scott King, the civil rights leader’s widow.
Over the course of his career, Dwight has played a part in designing over 130 sculptures across the United States, several of which have include the likeness of Dr. King.
“Having this memorial repaired was quite special mainly because it is Dr. King but also because …it means something to the people who visit it,” Dwight said. “This is not just for the Black community but for all of Denver.”
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