Vandals defaced the tombstone of "Roots" author Alex Haley's grandmother in Savannah, Tenn., spray-painting the phrase "White Lives Matter" on the marker, the Jackson Sun reports.
Gary Will, the police chief of Savannah, said the vandalism apparently occurred in the past few days and will be removed this week. The tombstone marks the grave of Queen Haley, who grew up in slavery, the daughter of a white plantation owner and his black slave.
Will said he didn't know why the vandals targeted Haley's grave. "This is a crime that should have never occurred," he said.