Red powder attack on US Constitution at National Archives: Climate activists' fate revealed
The National Archives Rotunda sustained $58,000 in damage due to the actions of the pair, according to federal authorities.
The fate of the two climate activists who vandalized the National Archives Rotunda in February by pouring red powder on the casing protecting the U.S. Constitution has been determined.
On Monday, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division announced that Donald Zepeda, 35, of Maryland, and Jackson Green, 27, of Utah, were sentenced to 24 months and 18 months in prison, respectively, for the Feb. 14, 2024, attack on the U.S. Constitution housed at the National Archives in Washington D.C.
On Aug. 15, Zepeda admitted guilt to the felony charge of damaging property by pouring a fine red substance onto a display case containing the U.S. Constitution in the Rotunda of the Archives building.
Officials stated that the cost of cleaning up after the climate change stunt, which was meant to attract attention, surpassed $58,000.
The Rotunda was closed for four days due to vandalism, preventing access to students, visitors, and D.C. residents.
On Aug. 13, Green pleaded guilty to felony destruction of property for the red powder attack on the U.S. Constitution and, furthermore, pleaded guilty to one count of injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit for his Nov. 14, 2023, defacement of a memorial to Black Civil War soldiers, Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial (1900).
Zepeda and Green were given 24 months of supervised release, required to pay $58,600 in restitution, and ordered to perform community service that involves cleaning up graffiti. Additionally, they were prohibited from entering D.C. and all museums in the U.S.
Zepeda joined Green in defacing the Archives just 13 days after Green was charged with assault on the Shaw Memorial.
Court documents reveal that Zepeda and Green are part of Declare Emergency, a group of activists who claim to raise awareness about climate change through criminal acts, mainly in D.C.
The group posted a video of the Rotunda on Valentine's Day, stating: "Our future is uncertain, but we must strive to prevent the end of civilization."
Love in action is the group's nonviolent civil disobedience, not just on Valentine's Day.
The group released a statement after the verdict, expressing their expectation that the punishment would be severe.
"Although there was no evidence of any harm caused, Green and Zepeda were charged with felony destruction of government property, the group stated on their website. The tempera paint powder was chosen because it would not cause any damage, and no powder was found inside the case."
us
You might also like
- In the Bryan Kohberger case, a judge in Idaho hears a defense motion regarding the murders.
- A fire broke out in Los Angeles County, prompting officials to issue evacuation orders.
- As fears of ICE raids intensify, a bustling Chicago district, often referred to as the "Mexico of the Midwest," has become a ghost town.
- Injured in a shooting at Antioch High School in Tennessee, three people were left in a lockdown.
- A German national who worked at the Pentagon during 9/11 was allegedly killed by a Vermont Border Patrol agent, according to the family.