A Washington, D.C. judge has awarded the trademarks of the far-right Proud Boys to the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic Black church in downtown D.C.
According to The New York Times, the ruling, issued Monday, bars the group from using its name and allows the church to pursue any profits the Proud Boys generate from selling merchandise featuring their branding, including their black and yellow laurel wreath logo.
The decision stems from a lawsuit the church filed in January 2021, following an incident in December 2020 when members of the Proud Boys destroyed Black Lives Matter signs during unrest surrounding a rally for then-President Donald Trump. Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio later pleaded guilty to the vandalism in July 2021.
In 2023, the Proud Boys were ordered to pay the church over $1 million in damages, but after failing to comply, the church sought legal recourse, leading to Monday’s ruling. The Metropolitan AME Church, which has hosted notable figures including Frederick Douglass, Oprah Winfrey, and former President Barack Obama, now holds the legal rights to the Proud Boys’ trademarks.
