'Plant lives don't matter': University of Michigan peony garden vandalized in possible Gaza protest
The Brief
Police are investigating damage at a peony garden at the University of Michigan's Nichols Arboretum.
Thousands of flowers were destroyed when they were cut off about 250 plants.
Fliers referencing violence in Gaza were left that the garden.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - Thousands of blooming peony flowers were destroyed early Sunday at a University of Michigan garden in a possible protest against the violence in Gaza.
Two-hundred and fifty plants, about ⅓ of the garden at the Nichols Arboretum had their flowers cut off, leaving behind bare patches in the historic garden that has been growing since the 1920s.
"These peonies are not just plants. They are living beings. They have been nurtured over generations, and bring joy, a sense of community, and connection to the natural world for so many people," said Tony Kolenic, the director of Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum.
Kolenic called the destruction an act of disregard.
Dig deeper
No one has taken credit for the vandalism, but the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety said fliers that reference the violence in Gaza were left in the garden.
These fliers said in part, "Plant lives don't matter. Human lives do."
They went on to reference how the garden can have 10,000 flowers blooming during peak season, and compare it to the number of Palestinians who have been killed and wounded.
The university has been the target of protests as violence continues to rage in the Middle East. Last year, a group of students set up an encampment on the campus' Diag as they called for the school to divest from Israel. The encampment was there for about a month before police dismantled it.
What's next
Though Kolenic was disappointed by the vandalism, he said the garden is resilient and will bloom again.
In the meantime, police are searching for the person or people responsible.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 734-763-1131, the confidential tip line at 800-863-1355 or email UM-DPSS-TIPS@umich.edu.
The Source
Information from the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety and Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum director Tony Kolenic was used to report this story.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
After 9K domestic violence calls in 2 years, Warren PD unveils Operation Cycle Break
The Brief Warren PD has responded to 9,000+ domestic violence calls in the past two years. A new program, Operation Cycle Break, gives support to survivors Police now has to follow up on reports in person instead of by phone. WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Warren police have responded to over 9,000 calls related to domestic violence in the past two years. "We've learned that a clear majority of cases in our city have had a domestic violence nexus - including many of our homicides," said Warren PD Commissioner Eric Hawkins. Dig deeper Domestic violence is a crime that's often underreported and often a generational, vicious cycle."Children who grow up in an abusive home often learn to accept those patterns of behavior," said Dr. Sharman Davenport, Turning Pointe Macomb. "They either use anger and abuse as a way of coping and controlling their world, or in other cases, they may become the victim, because that's what they've seen." "How can we break the cycle? That's where we came up with this name," Hawkins said. It is called Operation Cycle Break — uniting police, prosecutors, judges, researchers at Wayne State University and counselors at Turning Point to tackle domestic violence. The help provides everything from ensuring survivors have immediate support, to making mandatory counseling a bail condition. "We've never seen anything like this, I've never seen anything like this," said Chief Judge John Chmura, 37th District Court. "And I don't know of any court that's done anything like this in my 29 years in the bench," In the past when police would follow up on reports of domestic violence, it would just be through a phone call. Now with Operation Cycle Break, they are meeting in person. "It's going to change the way they approach domestic violence cases and it will really help survivors feel important," said Dr. Davenport. "They'll feel what's going on with them is a crime and that somebody's willing to step up and do something about it." They say it has already seen positive results. Since the initiative launched around 30 days ago, the city has seen more warrant requests granted, enrolled 20 defendants into counseling — and reached 37 survivors who may have previously slipped through the cracks. "This will make a huge difference in the lives of survivors in Warren," Davenport said. "Because now they will have the opportunity to be heard and make sure their cases move forward." The Source Information for this story was taken from Friday's Warren police press conference.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
$10K tactical robot purchase discovery leads to answers from Sheriff's Office
ST. LOUIS – From an alleged secret luxury vehicle to the latest FOX 2 discovery of new tactical robots, the St. Louis Sheriff's Office is now breaking its silence with the media. 'That's kind of an inexpensive way to take a small shot at a big problem,' retired judge David Mason said in response to our latest findings. Mason recently left 34 years as a circuit court judge to join the St. Louis Sheriff's Office as its lawyer. Missouri statute only allows him to be paid $15,000 a year for the job, which Mason said is proof he's only representing Sheriff Alfred Montgomery because he wants to. 'He's young, but he has a lot of vision about what he wants to do,' Mason said of Sheriff Montgomery. He agreed to talk on behalf of the Sheriff to answer FOX 2's latest discovery of two tactical robots that cost a combined $10k. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The office showed us one of them in action. 'It's a stopgap immediate measure for a big security problem,' Mason said. We've seen cases of courtroom violence because Mason said other courthouses have cameras everywhere, but not in St. Louis. 'We know that if somebody wants to take over a courtroom,' the retired judge said, '…we don't know what's going on in there.' He says the roving remote robot could be the eyes to help court security respond to a threat. 'Security is job one,' Mason said. He also agreed to address the new Chevy Tahoe we revealed on FOX 2 Thursday: 'Historically, the car for the Sheriff has been purchased from that budget, and that's what this Sheriff did.' Mason said funds were used that don't impact taxpayers; rather, he said they came from a pot of fees collected from things like the office's process serving. He said the vehicle will be Sheriff Montgomery's take-home car, adding, 'There's always a car available to make sure business is done and that's really what it comes down to.' Mason said more changes are coming. He also promised the Sheriff's Office will be more open about those changes – as we continue following decisions that impact the public. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
6 hours ago
- Axios
State Department considers giving $500 million to the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
The State Department is discussing allocating $500 million for funding of the U.S. and Israel backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) that has been delivering food to Palestinians in Gaza in recent weeks, a U.S. official and a source with direct knowledge told Axios. Why it matters: If the U.S. goes ahead with this massive funding, it will become the biggest donor to the foundation and will de facto "own" the operation. While such a move will increase the U.S. credibility in asking other countries to donate money to the foundation, it would also draw the U.S. deeper into active involvement in the Gaza war and make it more responsible for the humanitarian situation in the enclave. Without funding from foreign governments, the GHF will have difficulty operating in the coming months. Israeli officials asses that the GHF needs around $100 million a month to continue delivering aid in Gaza. Driving the news: In recent weeks, the GHF launched a new mechanism aimed at delivering aid to Palestinian civilians without Hamas taking control of or getting credit for it. The GHF and Israeli officials say hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have already received food, medicine and other supplies at the aid sites. But over the last week, two mass casualty events took place near the aid centers. In one of the incidents, the IDF confirmed that it fired at Palestinians who were on their way to the aid distribution center. Zoom out: In several other incident, the distribution centers were overwhelmed by the number of people who came to receive aid. The shooting and the chaos led the GHF to suspend operations for 24 hours on Wednesday and ask the Israeli military to take steps to avoid similar incidents. The UN and other aid organizations who refuse to cooperate with the GHF have warned for weeks that exactly these kind of incidents would result from civilians needing to pass through IDF lines to reach the newly established aid centers. Behind the scenes: A U.S. official said that State Department officials who oppose the U.S. funding of the GHF are concerned about the U.S. becoming responsible for future mass casualty incidents around the aid distribution centers. Those who support the idea on the other hand claim that U.S. funding means more U.S. ability to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground. A U.S. official said the idea of funding the GHF has been discussed in working levels within the State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and president Trump, who will have to make this decision, hasn't been briefed about it yet. "It will probably happen next week and until then we will see if the situation stabilizes and there are no more incidents and then we will decide," the U.S. official said. Reuters first reported the discussions in the State Department on possible U.S. funding for GHF. The State Department did not respond to requests for comment. Between the lines: The funding on the GHF has been kept under a veil of secrecy by its senior leaders and by the Israeli government. A senior Israeli official said the GHF secured $100 million to launch its operation. The money came from foreign governments and from private sector donors who all asked for anonymity, the Israeli official said. Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported earlier this week that the Israeli government has given more than $200 million to the GHF in a secret appropriation to the ministry of defense without revealing where the money will go to. The Israeli prime minister's office denied Israeli tax payer money was given to GHF. Udi Levy, the former head of the Mossad's economic intelligence unit, told Israel's channel 12 last week that Qatar and Turkey are funding GHF. The Qatari and Turkish governments denied that. But the Israeli military censor ordered channel 12 to delete the interview from its website.
