This weekend saw the attempted robbery of a Los Angeles city plaque. The plaque in question was based at the First Street viaduct and if you walked past it, you could easily miss it as it is built into the side of a building. This comes just weeks after the famed The Los Pobladores Plaque was stolen.

Not only this but there have also been reports that other plaques around the city have also gone missing. As seen, while this plaque wasn’t stolen, you can tell that a concerted effort had been made, as a crowbar had been lodged deep in an attempt to dislodge the artifact. For now at least, the plaque remains in place, albeit its position looks tenuous.

It is believed that these have been targeted by desperate thieves who sell the plaque for scrap metal. In general, a small, simple plaque might fetch $5-$10 as scrap metal, while a larger, more decorative plaque could fetch a few hundred dollars or more.

City plaques are valuable because they memorialize the history and culture of a city in a permanent and visible way. By commemorating significant historical events, people, or places, they teach residents and visitors about the city’s past and foster civic pride. Sadly however, it seems that some people do not care about LA history.