Confederate monument vandalized with ‘BLM’ in South Carolina tourist spot, police say
A Confederate monument in a popular South Carolina tourist spot was vandalized over the weekend, officials say.
The letters “BLM” were spray painted Saturday night onto a statue in White Point Gardens, which is along the Charleston waterfront, according to the city’s police department.
“BLM” is often used as an abbreviation for the Black Lives Matter movement, which has called for eliminating white supremacy and fighting racism.
After George Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody in May, some Confederate monuments were vandalized and became the center of renewed pushes for removal. Dozens of symbols to the Confederacy were taken from public display in the months that followed, McClatchy News reported.
While proponents of Confederate monuments have said they recognize Southern heritage and history, others have argued they symbolize white supremacy and should be taken down.
It’s not the first time police said White Point Gardens was a target for vandalism.
Officers in June 2019 accused two people of covering the area’s Confederate Defenders of Charleston monument with “a red paint-like substance,” The State previously reported. Four years earlier, Charleston police were investigating multiple words seen written on a White Point Gardens statue, according to WCBD.
In the latest reported incident, Charleston police as of Monday morning said they don’t know who wrote on the Confederate monument. Anyone with information is asked to call 843-743-7200 to reach a detective.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Confederate monument vandalized with ‘BLM’ in South Carolina tourist spot, police say."
