California MLK Statue Vandalized With Swastika Graffiti Prompting Hate Crime Investigation

A hate crime investigation is underway in Long Beach, Calif., after it was discovered last week that some pitiful racist vandalized the city’s statue of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

According to NPR, the desecration of the monument at MLK Jr. Park honoring the iconic civil rights leader was discovered last Friday and the graffiti was removed by park employees soon after.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia tweeted about the appalling act of neo-Nazi nonsense calling it “horrific” and announcing the hate crime investigation.

The Long Beach Police Department also told NPR in a statement that it “takes all reports of hate or bias-motivated incidents seriously, and we value the diversity of our Long Beach community and are actively investigating this incident to hold the individual responsible and accountable for their actions.” While neither the mayor nor the department specified the nature of the graffiti, online photos show a swastika in black spray paint right over MLK’s chest.

It isn’t terribly surprising that someone would do this at a time when race relations in America is a constantly trending topic and the vandalizing and removal of monuments have played such a large role in the drama—but MLK though?

Isn’t King the one civil rights leader that white people love to bring up when it’s time to wag their fingers in Black people’s faces while lecturing us about how we should behave? Isn’t he the go-to for closeted racists who are trying to prove they’re not racist by pretending to admire the one Black historical figure they know anything about?

Maybe some disgruntled white supremacist just got the memo that the “I Have a Dream” speech they love quoting isn’t MLK’s only work ,and he has also said some things that would make white people shudder in fragility and disappointment. I mean, they did hate the man when he was alive, after all.

Anyway, hopefully, whoever did this is caught and made to pay a steep penalty. This is just needlessly hateful.