Reports say a group of people carrying a white nationalist flag were caught on security camera trying to film in front of the new Emmett Till memorial.
Security footage shows the individuals filming at the site and then running away when a security alarm sounds.
In 1955, the 14-year-old Till was beaten and killed after he allegedly whistled at a white woman. A new bullet-proof memorial, located where Till’s body was pulled from a river, was dedicated in October after the first three were vandalized.
Congressman Bennie Thompson issued the following statement:
“The fact that people are still attempting to sow division in Mississippi is sad. This is the only memorial in America that has to be bulletproof. In years past, the signs has been stolen, thrown in the river, replaced, shot, replaced again, shot again, defaced with acid and have had KKK spray-painted on them. The vandalism has been targeted, and it has been persistent. The signs were placed near the spot where Till’s body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River in 1955. The 14-year-old African American was tortured and killed by two white men after false accusations that he flirted with a white woman. His death became an important catalyst in the civil rights movement. Those who continue to deface this memorial are saying to the world that Till’s death was justified. Unfortunately, being stupid and racist is not a crime. However, their symbols of hate portrayed at the Emmett Till memorial continues to put Mississippi in a bad light and is further proof that we still have a long way to go in the fight for racial justice.”
