Graceland tagged with Black Lives Matter and other messages

Workers clean graffiti tags off the Levitt Shell Amphitheater after they were discovered Tuesday morning, Sept. 1, 2020, at Overton Park in Memphis, Tenn. | Associated Press

Messages supporting Black Lives Matter, defunding the police and justice for Breonna Taylor were written on the walls of the historic mansion

Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, has been vandalized.

Messages supporting Black Lives Matter, defunding the police and justice for Breonna Taylor were written on the walls of the historic mansion.

Phrases such as “BLM,” “No Justice, No Peace” and “I Can’t Breathe” were found written at the estate, along with obscene references to President Donald Trump and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, per Billboard.

The graffiti was found on Tuesday morning when employees showed up to the grounds.

Local Memphis news anchor Shelia O’Connor tweeted out pictures of the walls at Graceland, writing, “Crews are cleaning up after someone spray painted the walls of Graceland with messages like ‘Defund MPD,’ ‘Arrest Breonna Taylor’s murderers’ and ‘BLM’ and more.”

Crews are cleaning up after someone spray painted the walls of Graceland with messages like “Defund MPD” “Arrest Breonna Taylor’s murderers” and “BLM” and more. I’ll give you a live look on @FOX13Memphis midday. pic.twitter.com/iggrafPLb8

— Shelia O'Connor FOX13 (@SheliaOConnor) September 1, 2020

Graceland officials have yet to comment on the recent vandalism.

Nearby historic Levitt Shell, where Presley had his first paid concert in 1954, was also vandalized.

According to Billboard, the spray paint had covered up many of the thoughtful tributes that fans have left behind for Presley since the museum opened in 1982.

Officials from Levitt Shell filed a report with local police, noting that due to the pandemic, the venue, which is run by a nonprofit, is looking at a significant shortfall this year.

Due to Levitt Shell being a historical landmark, there are certain criteria that they must follow when it comes to restoring the venue. Costs are estimated to be around $150,000 to restore it, according to Fox 13 Memphis.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/31XNTus