This week, MGM Resorts began cutting down the trees in front of the Bellagio in order to install a grandstand for the Formula One Grand Prix scheduled for November 18. MGM Resorts previously stated that it would temporarily and safely remove the trees, but has since admitted that the majority of the trees will become wood chips. 

These trees are decades old and provide crucial shade in one of the fastest warming cities in the United States. Las Vegas is an urban heat island; trees are essential in our desert climate, especially so in areas where there is pavement, glass, traffic, and a dense concentration of buildings. 

Let's call this what it is: violence. Violence against the trees. And violence against all living creatures who call this desert home.

We call on MGM Resorts to take accountability for cutting down these trees and to pledge to plant new ones. If it isn't possible to plant new trees outside of the Bellagio, they can be planted elsewhere in our community.