Utah man charged for damaging memorial in National Gallery of Art
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — A man from Utah was arrested on Wednesday after being charged with Damage to National Gallery of Art Property for his attack on a memorial.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) said Jackson Green, 27, of Sandy, Utah, caused more than $700 in damages to the Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial in the National Gallery of Art’s West Wing.
On Nov. 14, 2023, Green – a member of the Declare Emergency climate group – entered the museum carrying red paint. He then used the paint to smear the words “Honor Them” on the wall next to the painted plaster work, according to USAO.
The incident was videotaped by Declare Emergency supporters and posted online.
The piece was created by American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens in the late 1880s. It commemorates one of the first Civil War regiments of African Americans enlisted in the North, drawing recruits from many states – including Frederick Douglass’ sons.
Green is the third Declare Emergency member who has been charged in relation to attacks on the National Gallery of Art.
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In April 2023, Joanna Smith, 54, and her alleged co-conspirator, Timothy Martin, 54, smeared paint on the case and base of Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer, Age Fourteen. Before the attack, members alerted the Washington Post and two reporters recorded and photographed the offense.
The gallery was required to remove the scuplture for 10 days. Officilas said it cost over $4,000 to repair the damages done.
Smith pleaded guilty to one count of causing injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit and her sentencing is scheduled for April 3. Martin’s trial is scheduled for Aug. 26.
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