GRAND RAPIDS, Mich (WWJ) - Four people have been charged with multiple misdemeanors after allegedly defacing a Civil War statue in Allendale Township, near Grand Rapids, during two protests.
The charges stem from two incidents of vandalism of the statue, which depicts a Union and a Confederate soldier standing back to back with an enslaved child at their feet.
In the first incident, on Jan. 4, 2021, a clown face was painted onto the Union soldier.
In the second incident, on Jan. 8, 2021, the confederate soldier was tarred and feathered.
Both men and women who participated in the protest were charged, but their names and hometowns have not been released. The misdemeanor charges include defacing a statue, littering and being in a park after dusk in disobedience of a sign -- which violate Allendale Township’s park ordinance.
The charges are punishable by a fine of up to $500, 90 days in jail or participating in a park cleanup program.
Related
“I’ve said, related to other incidents, that if someone breaks the law they should be charged,” Allendale Township Supervisor Adam Elenbaas told MLive, “and that doesn’t hold any differently with this here. If people are found to have broken the law, they should be charged for that, and that’s the process we’re working through.”