- The birth site of Gerald R. Ford in Central Omaha was vandalized with graffiti, including references to Donald Trump and Joe Biden, prompting concerns about the site's maintenance.
- Local resident Deborah Uhl, who works at the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center, expressed sadness over the graffiti and emphasized the importance of preserving the historic location for visitors.
- The city of Omaha plans to remove the graffiti promptly, as it's not uncommon for taggers to target this area.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The birth site of Gerald R. Ford has been vandalized. Deborah Uhl works nearby, she expressed hope that this incident raises awareness and that the city will do more to maintain the park.
Names of the United States Presidents are carved into meorials in this park. However, there are a few that are missing.
"Somebody wrote 45' for Donald Trump in white paint, and then added 46, 'who knows' in black, referring to Joe Biden, followed by '47 Donald Trump, '” Uhl said while reading the graffiti.
The vandal painted on the newest marble memorial.
“This is really sad because this is a special historic place that we have. It's the only one that we have dedicated to presidents in Nebraska. It's just a shame that someone felt this was how they wanted to leave their mark," Uhl said.
Uhl, who works at the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center, spends a lot of time in this garden. She noted that the graffiti is part of a larger maintenance issue.
“It's hard to see it fall into disrepair. We have visitors come from all over the country to visit places like this, and I think it would be horrible for them to come here and see how we take care of the site,” Uhl said.
The city of Omaha has a team that helps remove graffiti. Officials say it's not uncommon for taggers to hit this area and that the graffiti will be removed first thing tomorrow morning.
Uhl, who is unsure when the monument was vandalized, believes it happened sometime within the last week at 32nd and Woolworth
