ATLANTA (AP) — Confederate battle flags were stealthily placed on the grounds of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s church, and authorities said Thursday they were looking for two white males who were recorded on surveillance camera leaving the banners behind.
Atlanta police Chief George Turner said his agency was working with federal authorities and they have not determined what charges might be levied. Turner said they have not ruled out a hate crime.
King preached at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue, once a bustling center of commerce for Atlanta’s African-American businesses and residents. The King Center, the historic church and its new building — where congregants now meet and where the flags were placed — are a short walk from the home of King’s grandparents, where the late civil rights leader lived for the first 12 years of his life.