Four charged in Jackson monument attacks
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia charged four men over the weekend with the destruction of federal property.
The unsealed indictment charges that Lee Michael Cantrell, 47, of Virginia; Connor Matthew Judd, 20, of Washington, D.C.; Ryan Lane, 37, of Maryland; and Graham Lloyd, 37, of Maine, allegedly damaged the statue of Andrew Jackson in an attempt to topple it on June 20, 2020, in Lafayette Square near the White House.
Judd was arrested on Friday and appeared in Superior Court of the District of Columbia on Saturday.
The FBI, U.S. Park Police and the Department of Justice (DOJ), in part, used video evidence from the protest to make the charges against the accused.
“The complaint alleges that Judd is seen on video trying to pull down the statue,” says the DOJ, “and that Lane is seen on video affixing a rope to one part of the statue and then pulling on another rope tied to the statue. The complaint also alleges that video of the incident shows Lloyd as he breaks off and destroys the wheels of cannons located at the base of the statue. Lloyd is also captured on video pulling on ropes in an effort to topple the statue, and handing a hammer to an unidentified individual involved in the incident.”
The indictment follows scenes of violence and destruction at or around Black Lives Matters (BLM) protests in Lafayette Square. Previously, protesters had been pushed out of the park by Park Police after arson attempts in areas adjacent to the park saw increased tension between police and protesters.
As protesters pelted police with foreign objects, including frozen water bottles, police cleared the area with foam bullets and pepper spray.
The subsequent attack on the Jackson statue was accompanied by simultaneous attacks on statues around the country that BLM considers offensive to them.
“Over the past month, various monuments across the United States—and, in some cases, in Europe, too—have been the subject of mass protests,” says ArtNews, “with demonstrators alleging that they promote white supremacy by raising racist figures to the status of heroes.”
Targets of attack have been statues of Lincoln, Grant, Teddy Roosevelt and Christian Heg, an abolitionist who opposed slavery and died at the Battle of Chickamauga during the Civil War.
The indictments come as President Trump and other GOP leaders, including Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) have vowed to bring the violence to heel.
Last week, President Trump signed an executive order authorizing the DOJ to prosecute those who attempt to destroy or do destroy national monuments.
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No w get them indicted and convicted!As how they whine when it comes to sentence time!See who woke now.
Ten years! Catch them all! If you catch them in the act, shoot them!
Lock them up for the max time
I see that Dennis Ruffin has a disdain for the Bill of Rights, particularly for the 8th Amendment. Likely he’s not in favor of Due Process either.
Paid AGITATORS FROM OUT OF STATE.
Figures.
AHHHHA, the marxists have taken over the censoring on this rag. Time to unsubscribe!
Agree they don deserve to live here, go to africa if you dont like this beautifull land
Continue to prosecute and jail these criminals. They have no right to destroy public property. Not sure this will totally prevent this problem, since these peoples brains are not functioning in a normal range. But it.s a great start.
Those goobers destroy the lives of decent black folks who work, raise families and contribute to the country’s well being.
Those four need a long prison sentence, hopefully as a lesson to the next lot of garbage who can’t stand history.
Go chastise the tribes that captured your ancestors and sent them here. You idiots should be thankful for the price your ancestors paid so you could live in a wonderful land.
If you don’t like living in the USA I am sure we can raise a one way ticket to the south. Africa that is.
This country fought fo decades against communism/Marxism. Many of the same politicians who joined that fight, are Pro BLM Today. I can’t take them seriously..
where are the pictures? I thought they were white dopes on Dem.
I don’t care what color they are (yes, many are white), they don’t have the right to destroy things that aren’t theirs. If we all destroyed everything we find offensive or don’t like, there would be nothing anywhere. But that is probably their intent. It really has nothing to do with racism, or they wouldn’t go after Christian Heg or the Union’s black regiment monument.
It doesn’t matter what color they are. There are youths of all colors, male and female, doing this destruction. They should all be arrested and processed equally under the law. No excuses. Let them whine.
it Is time President Trump brings in the national guard and puts a stop to all this protesting,looting ,and destroying everything
the tax payers has paid for while the thugs and terrorest keep acting like fools.
deport their A$$ES
Nice long sentences to serve with Bubba is what they need and, no, Trump needs to do nothing in the lib meccas run amok. It’s up to voters in the lib meccas to grow up and elect adults instead of the mamby pamby liberal children they have. If not, let the cities rot and NO BAILOUT from taxpayers.
They are probably white…..
time is now to get them indicted and have them pay for the damages and future damages to the said statue. also jail time to serve as a deterrent so others will not emulate them. The time to act is now and the court should do their duty to protect the well being of all and put these people away ..
I don’t see any pictures of them & the article doesn’t mention their race. That’s a rather racist statement..don’t you think! It doesn’t matter what color their skin was as long as they’re caught and punished!
Try Venezuela or Cuba. That’s what they would like to turn this country into.