Police in Florida are investigating the vandalism of 17 graves at the historic Old Memphis Cemetery in Palmetto, a predominantly Black cemetery established in 1904. Headstones were knocked down, and the names 'Trump' and 'DeSantis' were spray-painted in red on tombs.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Tuesday that no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. Detectives believe the incident occurred within the past few weeks.
Glenn Searls, 77, expressed 'extreme anger' over the damage, as several of his family members and acquaintances are buried there. 'When you look and you see 'DeSantis' and 'Trump' spray-painted on a vault, it makes you wonder if it's politically motivated, and I tend to believe it is,' he said.
Edrena Love Freeman reported finding her father's gravestone moved. 'I just thought it was evil, it's just not right,' she said, standing by the grave of her father, a World War II veteran who died in 1970.
Neither the office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis nor Trump's press office immediately responded to requests for comment. The vandalism occurs amid a polarized political climate ahead of the November midterm elections.
