TOLEDO, Ohio — A GoFundMe has been created to raise money for a bigger George Floyd memorial after the one in north Toledo collapsed after being struck by lightning.
"The previous George Floyd Mural was supposedly struck by lightening, we want to create a bigger better mural," said the description on GoFundMe.
The piece was created by Toledo artist David Ross just about one year ago. He said the artwork stands as a memorial and reminder to never forget what happened that day in May of 2020, when Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin last year.
The collapse of the mural has drawn national attention, with Donald Trump Jr. posting on social media wondering if the lightning strike may have been an act of God.
"Obviously what happened to George Floyd should never happen anywhere!!! That said, objectively speaking, given his history I’m not sure turning him into a deity and a role model for our children is exactly the right idea either," said part of Trump Jr.'s post on Instagram.
Ross and Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said the mural will be replaced, although the location has not been determined yet.
One of the things the city is looking at is whether this building needs to be demolished entirely following the lightning strike. A spokesperson for the city said building officials have determined that an emergency demolition of the building was not necessary.
The spokesperson said the building was stable and secure prior to the lightning strike, however, the facade was not.
The city is contacting the property owner and making sure the building's safe and not an eyesore. The rest of the mural that's still standing will probably have to come down.
According to the WTOL 11 First Alert Doppler radar, a confirmed "negatively" charged lightning strike hit the corner of Summit and Lagrange streets sometime between 4:30 p.m. and 4:32 p.m.
You can find the GoFundMe here.