The pastor of a historic D.C. church whose Black Lives Matter sign was torn down and burned in the street during Saturday’s chaotic pro-Trump “Million MAGA March” responded Sunday, saying the violent act was “reminiscent of cross burnings.”
“We are a resilient people who have trusted in God through slavery and the Underground Railroad, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement, and now as we face an apparent rise in white supremacy,” Asbury United Methodist Church’s Rev. Ianther M. Mills wrote.
“Last night demonstrators who were part of the MAGA gatherings tore down our Black Lives Matter sign and literally burned it in the street. The sign burning was captured on Twitter. It pained me especially to see our name, Asbury, in flames. For me it was reminiscent of cross burnings. Seeing this act on video made me both indignant and determined to fight the evil that has reared its ugly head. We had been so confident that no one would ever vandalize the church, but it has happened.”