Church where MLK preached marred with pro-abortion graffiti. Now, FBI wants your help
Vandals scrawled a pro-abortion message on an Atlanta church once helmed by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., federal authorities said. Now, there’s a $10,000 reward.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public’s help to identify a group of people suspected of vandalizing the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, now led by U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). The agency’s Atlanta office released photos and surveillance video from the July 3 incident on Thursday, Dec. 29.
The group spray-painted “If abortions aren’t safe neither are you” on an exterior wall of the church’s Heritage Sanctuary on Jackson Street, photos show.
Investigators said the vandalism occurred days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, effectively stripping women’s rights to safe and legal abortions under federal law.
Video showed a group of 10 people dressed in black walking from the church around 10:30 p.m. before they crossed the street onto Auburn Avenue. A short time later, the group is seen walking from near the Memorial Rose Garden — but no longer in their dark clothing.
They later split into two groups, video shows.
Warnock, who narrowly defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a December runoff to retain his U.S. Senate seat, has criticized efforts to implement a nationwide ban on abortion and expressed support for a woman’s right to choose.
“A patient’s room is too cramped for a woman, her doctor, and the United States government,” the reverend said during an October campaign stop in Macon, WMAZ reported. “I believe in reproductive choice, my opponent does not.”
McClatchy News reached out to Ebenezer Baptist Church for comment on Friday and was awaiting a response.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit an anonymous tip at tips.fbi. gov.
This story was originally published December 30, 2022 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Church where MLK preached marred with pro-abortion graffiti. Now, FBI wants your help."