The cleanup effort at the memorial along West 7th Street started Monday and featured ordinary citizens who showed up hoping to erase the vandalism.
Among the volunteers was a Fort Worth native who said he understands the hurt behind the recent events, but was adamant: This is not the answer. The vandals spray painted anti-police rhetoric like "F**K 12" and "ACAB" across several stones on the memorial grounds.
But righting a wrong has the power to unite.
“For me, memorials and stuff like that are just off limits,” Mark Houston said.
Houston heard the memorial was vandalized and spray painted with "BLM."
“I’m a black man in America I get it, right,” he said. “I have the fortunate vantage point of having police officers in my family, so I kind of see both sides.”
Houston said he decided it was his duty to "bridge the gap." He showed up with his own cleaning supplies and began to clean up the vandalism.