The story behind the removed (Michael Jackson) monument remains a mystery, but it begins with two of the youngest Jackson siblings: Janet and Randy. On October 27, 2017, the two came back to Gary one day after Janet performed at the Allstate Arena near Chicago. During their visit to Gary, Janet and Randy visited Roosevelt College and Career Academy (formerly known as Theodore Roosevelt High School) where the Jacksons performed in talent shows. The Jackson’s oldest sister, Reebie, graduated from Roosevelt in 1968.

Facing a throng of fans and television cameras, Janet and Randy also visited their childhood home, where the monument was still standing at the corner of the front lawn near the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Jackson Street. At the end of the day, the monument was gone, and Janet and Randy left Gary.

The company that removed the monument was Industrial Rents Inc., a Gary company whose phone number is no longer in service.

One neighbor, Janine Bray, who has lived in a house across the street from the Jackson family home, said she saw the monument being removed on October 27, hours after Janet and Randy visited the house.

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