CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - plaque marking the site of slave auctions in a Virginia city has been reported missing and vandalism was found nearby.
News outlets report the marker in Court Square in Charlottesville was missing Thursday.
It had been built into a sidewalk. Police say it appears someone used dirt from below the marker to write “1619” on a nearby light pole.
The number signifies the year Africans were first brought to Virginia as slaves. Police say it's unclear whether the plaque was stolen or taken for protection.
Charlottesville was the site of a deadly 2017 white nationalist rally.
