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The shrine that was erected on the street where Ferguson, Mo. teen Michael Brown lost his life has been removed, with Brown’s father and officials citing it was a safety hazard. On Wednesday (May 20), it was announced that the makeshift memorial would be replaced with a permanent plaque and installed in a nearby sidewalk.

Yesterday would have been Brown’s 19th birthday, and Michael Brown Sr. led the efforts to clean up the memorial on Canfield Drive. Along with Ferguson mayor James Knowles III, Brown Sr. announced that the removal of the stuffed animals, flowers and other showings of support will be moved into storage by the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has more:

Flanked by newly elected Ferguson City Council members Wesley Bell and Ella Jones, Knowles and Brown said the plaque will be part of a new permanent memorial in the area.

In an interview after the news conference, Bell said the new memorial along Canfield will include the figure of a dove, and that Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, had been involved with the planning. The metallic dove and the plaque will be embedded in the sidewalk along Canfield.

Brown’s father said the stuffed animals and other items along the road had become a safety hazard.

Wednesday would have been Michael Brown’s 19th birthday. His family and community members gathered at the memorial around noon and began removing the items. By about 1:15 p.m., the street was clear.

The owner of nearby Canfield Green Apartments is paying for the plaque’s installation, with fundraising conducted by the Brown family.

The Post-Dispatch added that several of the items left at the shrine were not stored as originally thought and were actually seen sitting in a trash bin outside the Urban League headquarters.

Photo: St. Louis Post-Dispatch