Ebenezer Baptist Church vandalism: FBI releases footage, offers $10K reward for information on suspects
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who provides relevant information on suspected vandalsafter releasing photographs and footage related to the attack on the historic Black church in Atlanta, Georgia. The supreme court decided to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case in its June verdict in Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization which triggered a group of protesters in favor of abortion access to go rogue.
The footage shows one group reportedly circling Ebenezer Baptist Church Heritage Sanctuary, which is known for its legendary congregation including spiritual turf for Martin Luther King Jr, John Lewis, and Senator Raphael Warnock. It is also a site where Lewis and King’s funerals service were done, and the place Warnock and King served as pastors. As per the FBI, a group of 10 people, all wearing black outfits were captured on camera around the prestigious church in the late night hours of July 3.
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FBI Atlanta releases video of a group accused of vandalizing the outside of Ebenezer Baptist Church Heritage Sanctuary in Atlanta on July 3. Authorities said it happened days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade. pic.twitter.com/iKO5EnNeAO
— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) December 29, 2022
The group allegedly stopped near the building where authorities later found spray paint reading on either side of the structure, “if abortions aren’t safe neither are you.” A press release from the FBI stated, “Less than a minute later, cameras recorded the people walk away from the church and cross Auburn Avenue and towards the Memorial Rose Garden. A few minutes later, a group of 10 people walked from the area of the Garden, no longer wearing black clothing. The group then split up, and four of the individuals went in one direction and six of the individuals went in another direction. Cameras in the area recorded their activity.”
The Atlanta Police Department and the FBI’s Atlanta Division have been seeking information related to the alleged vandalism or any of the suspects to reach out to 1-800-CALL-FBI or to send investigatory tips to Tips.FBI.gov. Georgia state after overturning the Roe case has gone ahead with its Heartbeat Abortion Law. It now outlaws the procedure after six weeks of gestation, which many claims is before most women even find out about their pregnancy, reports Law&Crime.
The Fulton County Superior Court on Nov 15, 2022, declared Georgia’s six-week abortion ban ‘unenforceable’ and called the law unconstitutional at the time it was enacted. However, it didn’t take long before the state's Supreme Court reinstated the law on November 23. “The State of Georgia’s Emergency Petition for Supersedeas seeking a stay of the order of the Superior Court of Fulton County in the above-styled action is hereby granted,” read the court’s brief one-page ruling at the time.