City removes Spierer signs

For more than two years, Lauren Spierer’s face has been on large signs throughout Bloomington, reminding residents of the missing IU student and urging those with information about her whereabouts to come forward.

Now, the signs are gone.

The City of Bloomington took down signs with information about missing Spierer last week.

Spierer, who was 20 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen at about 4:30 a.m. June 3, 2011, near 11th Street and College Avenue.

The decision to remove the signs was an effort to balance varied community interests and input, according to a statement from Mayor Mark Kruzan’s office.

“For the many people who have felt the signs should have been taken down long ago, it’s long overdue,” the statement said. “For those who believe they should remain in place, no time was right to remove them.”

Bob Loviscek, president of Local 586 Union of Professional Firefighters,  said firefighters took it upon themselves to redo the signs in April.

Loviscek said he was disappointed when he noticed the signs were gone Friday.
“We made a commitment to the Spierer family that we would keep the signs up and would maintain them,” Loviscek said. “They should be kept as long as the Spierer family wants them up.”

The City planned to remove the signs after IU’s graduation ceremony last May, but because firefighters renovated the signs in April, the city decided to take them down after six months, which was last week.

“The community has been very engaged in the case and will remain so,” the statement from Mayor Kruzan’s office said. “Posters about the case remain up throughout the campus and community, including in city government buildings, and police agencies continue to actively investigate.”

A Facebook page opposing the removal of the signs is set up urging people to email Mayor Kruzan and say they want the signs put back.

“The tragedy of Lauren’s disappearance is more than devastating in itself, but it’s compounded by the cruelty of people every day,” Shelly Leonard, creator of the group, said on the Facebook page. “The city of Bloomington removed these signs in the dark without any prior notice given to Rob and Charlene (Spierer).”

Leonard said the people who may know where Spierer is refuse to help find her.
“That’s why it’s so important that we continue to support them any way we can,” Leonard said. “If that means fighting to keep signs up, then that’s what we do.”

— Mary Hauber contributed to this story.

Follow reporter Matt Stefanski on Twitter @stefanskimatt.