Time to dispatch the DOJ hate crime squad.
Via The State
The statue on the S.C. State House grounds of a former governor and senator widely known as a white supremacist has been vandalized.
It was not known around noon Tuesday when the red paint was thrown at the statue of “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman, splattering paint down one of the statue’s legs and base.
Efforts to reach law enforcement officials about the vandalism were unsuccessful immediately after it was discovered.
Security has been increased on the State House grounds in recent days because of tensions over the Confederate flag there. Many, including Gov. Nikki Haley, have called for the flag’s removal, following the June 17 killings of nine African-Americans in a Charleston church. A 21-year-old white Columbia area man has been charged.
There have been at least two arrests connected with the flag in recent days – one early Saturday, after someone climbed a pole and took the Confederate flag down; and a second person Monday night after an alleged scuffle with anti-flag demonstrators. Both people face charges.
Tillman is a former governor and U.S. senator whose political career spanned 1890 to 1918.
He promoted white supremacy, including lynching and denial of voting rights to blacks and women. Tillman also was a participant in the massacre of black militia members during Reconstruction.