OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A North Omaha memorial site that honors victims of gun violence receives new benches after the previous ones were vandalized and destroyed in July 2025.
- The Queen's Legacy Mural site was vandalized for a third time in July 2025, destroying the benches.
- DeSantiago Masonry donated new benches made of retaining wall block on a concrete base, designed to last.
- The memorial honors over 80 women murdered in the community and provides families a place to reflect.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A moment months in the making.
"They are beautiful, and they sent me a vision, and they executed it perfectly," said Buffy Bush, founder of Families of the Stolen.
Benches at the Queen's Legacy Mural, near 24th and Sahler, which honors dozens of women and one man lost to gun violence in Omaha, give families a place to sit and reflect.
"This is a living mural because unfortunately, the violence doesn't stop," Bush said.
When vandalism hit this site for a third time in July, destroying the benches, the only choice was to remove them.
"They were broken beyond any kind of repair," Bush said.
But a good neighbor quickly stepped in after seeing the vandalism on social media.
"My husband just kind of brought it to me, and was like 'hey, what do you think we can do, how can we help,' and I said 'well, I think we can build them new benches," said Brianne DeSantiago, co-owner of DeSantiago Masonry.
DeSantiago says these two new benches are made of retaining wall block on a concrete base.
"We just wanted to give them something that would last, something that they didn't have to come and see broken," DeSantiago said.
An addition to the site that Bush calls a blessing.
"It was a process, and they were so loving about it, and I can't thank them enough," Bush said.
DeSantiago Masonry says if anything happens to these benches, they are committed to maintaining them for years to come.
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