A small forest of dolls, teddy bears, bunnies and other stuffed animals attached to small wooden stakes is a striking sight for drivers passing by the First United Methodist Church on Woodward Avenue in Ferndale.

A banner hung in the background proclaims "for the thousands of separated children"

The display, which went up April 27, is the brainchild of Huntington Woods resident Elaine Roseborough, 86, who worked with the advocacy group Indivisible Fighting #9 on the installation.

Her aim, she said, is to convey "the enormity" of the impact of the Trump administration's family separation policies in dealing with the flood of immigrants at the southern border.. A total of 1,000 stuffed animals and dolls are propped up on stakes in the small lot, Roseborough said.

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"The idea came up with me and some friends when this first came to light of what was happening, like most people, we were horrified by the idea of children being taken away from their parents and shipped across the country," Roseborough told the Free Press.

"It was in the news for a while, but then it seemed to start slipping from the news cycle... We felt that there needed to be something done that would raise public awareness."

Roseborogh said she began looking for a group that could support her vision, and was directed to Indivisible Fighting #9, which meets at the First United Methodist Church.

It was the first time she'd ever heard about the advocacy group, which she said was very excited when she presented the idea at a meeting. She's continued to attend meetings and has become a member, adding that she supports their efforts on other issues as well — especially increasing voter registration.

Roseborough said the green space near the side of the church where the group meets seemed like a natural fit for the display — and the church was supportive of the group's use of the space.

The church's pastor, Robert Schoenhals, said they were happy to provide the space for the display and didn't just give the group permission, but their blessing.

"It's in keeping with our United Methodist beliefs (and) this particular church is very adamant for our support for immigrants' rights," Schoenhals said, adding that the Ferndale church considers itself a "sanctuary church."

He added that while the congregation isn't currently housing anyone, they have taken in immigrants in the past and provided temporary housing.

Schoenhals also said the church is no stranger to installations and making statements highlighting various social issues — from a Black Lives Matter banner that has hung at the site in the past to a rally hosted at the church in response to the violence that broke out in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 when counter-protesters faced off with white supremacists.

Schoenhals said the church has plans to display a pride banner in the space in June and also want to invite green energy organizations to have displays on its lawn to coincide with The Green Cruise Bike Rides in August.

"We're constantly creating new installations," Schoenhals said. "We have an ideal location right on Woodward Avenue, so we try to use our space for visible ways of making a statement."

In putting together the current display, Roseborough said, the group initially struggled with deciding what would be an appropriate symbol for children.Several ideas were bounced around before they landed on toys.

"What symbolizes a child more than a toy? Especially little stuffed animals," she said.

Roseborough added that the group received donations from various people ranging from toys to financial support to help pay for the stakes.

"As I'm seeing it, it's not necessarily a Democratic/Republican issue," Roseborough said. "To me, it's more of a moral issue and I think if there's one issue that might unite everyone, it might be this. ... You just inherently know that separating children forcibly from their parents is just wrong."

The initial plan was to have the display up for two weeks, but the dolls and stuffed animals are nearing the three-week mark.

Schoenhals told the Free Press keeping the animals up longer is fine with the church, but Roseborough said the group doesn't want to impose for too long and is currently looking for another church or organization who would be willing to support putting the display up at another location.

Otherwise, she said, the display will likely be dismantled next weekend.

"(We're) still looking for takers," Roseborough said.

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Contact Aleanna Siacon: ASiacon@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AleannaSiacon.