WASHINGTON — An investigation is underway after someone vandalized a Black Lives Matter sign outside the Metropolitan AME Church near the White House on Wednesday. Vandals reportedly spray-painted Nazi symbols on the sign.
At 3:55 p.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department responded to a report of vandalism in the 1500 block of M Street, NW. A resident told police that an unknown person drew swastikas on the church's Black Lives Matter flag.
AME Pastor Bill Lamar says the investigation by MPD is active and ongoing.
So far, there's no word of any arrests.
Pastor Lamar says this is the second time the sign has been targeted. He says that members of the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys tore down the church's Black Lives Matter sign back in 2020 after they attended a pro-Trump event.
Metropolitan AME sued the Proud Boys in 2020. A judge ordered the group to pay the historically Black church more than $1 million.
Investigators say a banner was also taken from nearby Asbury United Methodist Church and set on fire Wednesday. It is unclear if this is related to the Black Lives Matter sign being vandalized.
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