Police have arrested a man for allegedly urinating on and damaging a memorial site near Martin Luther King’s crypt in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday morning, October 11.
According to the Atlanta Police Department, building security at the campus of the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change reported that a man urinated into a reflection pool and stomped on the Eternal Flame. According to the organization’s website, the flame represents King’s vision for “a world of justice, peace, and equality of mankind.”
The nonprofit was founded by the civil rights leader’s wife, Coretta Scott King, in 1968, and both individuals’ remains are interred in crypts on the campus. The Atlanta memorial and social change nonprofit, whose mission is to apply King’s nonviolent methodology to social change advocacy, sees nearly one million visitors each year.
Police said in a statement that 26-year-old Atlanta resident Brent Jones was identified as the suspect and taken into custody at the Fulton County Jail, and that the Eternal Flame had suffered “significant damage.” In a statement, however, the King Center characterized the incident as “minor” and said that there was “minimal damage” to the memorial.
According to an incident report obtained by Hyperallergic, the suspect attempted to urinate on the memorial flame to put it out. When asked to leave, the suspect stomped on the pot containing the flame, resulting in $3,000 worth of damage, the report said. The individual also allegedly scattered documents that were displayed on a memorial podium and urinated into the pool.
The incident report said that no weapons or drugs were involved, nor any “bias motivation.”
Jones is being charged with second-degree damage to property, criminal trespassing, public indecency, and obstruction of law enforcement. Hyperallergic has attempted to contact Jones for comment.
“The Eternal Flame still burns with love, and we continue to welcome everyone with open arms and gratitude for the incredible support of our beloved community,” the King Center’s statement said. “The dream lives on.”
The King Center said that it remains open to visitors.
