In a significant legal ruling, the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Washington, D.C., has been granted control over the name and trademarks of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys.
Judge Tanya Jones Bosier of the D.C. Superior Court issued the decision, which marks a victory for the Black church targeted in a racially motivated attack by the Proud Boys during a pro-Trump rally in December 2020.
The Ruling That Cost Them Their Name
The ruling allows the church to seize any proceeds from the sale of merchandise bearing the Proud Boys’ name, logos, and insignia. It comes as part of the church’s efforts to enforce a $2.8 million default judgment against the extremist group, which has not paid the damages awarded in the 2023 court ruling.
There seems to be no information on how much merch the Proud Boys sell.
The legal battle stems from an incident in which members of the Proud Boys scaled the church’s walls and tore down a Black Lives Matter (BLM) banner, setting it ablaze. The attack was part of a larger wave of violence and vandalism by Trump supporters who falsely claimed that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from him.
Among those involved in the attack was Enrique Tarrio, the group’s leader, who was later sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy related to the January 6 Capitol riot. However, Tarrio was among 1,500 individuals pardoned by Trump after his return to office in January.
Legal and Social Implications
The church’s legal team, supported by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, stressed that the Proud Boys had engaged in fraudulent activity to avoid paying the court-ordered damages. The group dissolved its official entity and surrendered its trademark registration in an attempt to shield its assets. Judge Bosier’s ruling effectively nullifies that tactic and grants the church control over the Proud Boys’ branding.
Rev. William H. Lamar IV, the church’s pastor, said, “For the first time in our nation’s history, a Black institution owns property of a white supremacist group. This is a victory not just for our church but for all who stand against hate.”