A historically, predominantly Black cemetery in Florida was the subject of vandalism as 17 gravesites were damaged over the past few weeks. According to authorities in Palmetto, Florida, a city about 30 miles south of Tampa, headstones were knocked down and the words “Trump” and “DeSantis” were spray-painted in red letters, references to Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
77-year-old Glenn Searls told Reuters he felt “extreme anger” at the vandalism that occurred at the Old Memphis Cemetery. Members of his family and other people he once knew are buried there. The cemetery was established more than 120 years ago for Black residents of Palmetto’s Memphis neighborhood.
“When you look and you see ‘DeSantis’ and ‘Trump’ spray-painted on a vault, it makes you wonder if it’s politically motivated, and I tend to believe it is,” Searls said.
Ederena Love Freeman said she checked her father’s gravesite on Wednesday and discovered it had been moved. Her father was a World War II veteran who passed away in 1970.
“I just thought it was evil, it’s just not right,” she said.
A White House spokesperson condemned the acts of vandalism.
“Anyone who engages in this disgusting behavior must be condemned in the harshest terms possible,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement.
Trump has long had a history of sharing racist rhetoric on social media, including sharing an AI video depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. Throughout his second term, he has repeatedly gone after diversity, equity and inclusion practices across the country, issuing executive orders to strip them from education, businesses and more. Recently, his calls for redistricting in Texas have led to several Southern states enacting redistricting plans to strip voting power away from Black voters ahead of the midterm elections.
DeSantis has enacted similar actions regarding DEI in Florida, and the state legislature voted to change its voting maps, despite the constitutionality of such changes being mentioned in the state constitution.
