St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City was the target of vandalism and was photographed with profanities scrawled across its side.
The desecration was spotted by a New York Post reporter around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. According to the Post , the graffiti appears on one wall on Fifth Avenue and 51st Street read “F–k F–k” in red letters.
An adjacent wall also shows, “BLM” — for Black Lives Matter — along with “NYPDK” in red letters and “No justice no peace” in black letters scrawled for all to see.
According to the publication, there was additional graffiti on the stairs which was spray-painted with “George Floyd” in black letters.
Former police officer and FBI agent and current CNN law enforcement analyst James Gaglino posted a photo of the desecration, calling St. Patrick’s Cathedral “one of the most sacred Catholic Churches in the World.”
New York City tonight: “Protesters” desecrate St. Patrick’s Cathedral — one of the most sacred Catholic Churches in the world. pic.twitter.com/7KHueVmEw6
— James A. Gagliano (@JamesAGagliano) May 31, 2020
Both the New York Post ‘s reporter and Giglino’s assessment of the vandalism suggested that it was likely perpetrated by demonstrators protesting the death of Geroge Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old African American man who died in police custody on Monday.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison told PIX11 investigators are searching for “two female whites” caught on video spray painting part of the building’s facade.
“This is unacceptable. This is not a reflection of the peaceful protesters in New York City. These individuals will be identified and apprehended,” Harrison said Sunday.
Police were able to obtain footage from a security camera of the women defacing the building and have begun an investigation.
The New York Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling was unaware that the crime had been committed when contacted by The New York Post on Saturday evening.
According to the publication, protesters were seen marching down Fifth Avenue earlier in the day, and it’s believed that the markings are a remembrance of their movements through the area.
Firefighters respond to NYPD van ablaze in New York as protests roil the city. At least 70 arrests have been made in New York tonight. https://t.co/ahHKWbg3V4 pic.twitter.com/plQhgD7Ggv
— ABC News (@ABC) May 31, 2020
The protests in New York, like other major cities, devolved from a demonstration about the treatment of African Americans by police into what appears to be a free-for-all of mob-like violence.
The Inquisitr previously reported that multiple states, including Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Georgia, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia have mobilized their National Guard to deal with the growing threat to individuals and businesses.
Videos have been posted to social media of teaming masked rioters pouring through the streets after dark, breaking into businesses and meting out their own brand of justice to anyone who attempts to stand in their way.