Daughters of the Confederacy sues over 2020 Richmond protest fire
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The United Daughters of the Confederacy building on June 3, 2020, days after people vandalized it. Photo: Sabrina Moreno/Axios
Five years ago, protesters targeted the United Daughters of the Confederacy headquarters in Richmond and set the building on fire.
Why it matters: The organization, known for helping dot the South with Confederate monuments, is now suing to find out who did it and make them — literally — pay.
Driving the news: UDC's lawsuit, filed against "unknown" parties and first reported by The Richmonder, says the group incurred over $4.1 million in damages because of the destruction on May 31, 2020.
- Beyond the fire, protesters also smashed the building's windows and covered the exterior with graffiti that included the words "racists," "abolition" and "stole from us."
- Among the artifacts destroyed, per WRVA, was a Confederate flag flown by Stonewall Jackson. Insurance paid the UDC $60,000 for that loss.
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By the numbers: Per the lawsuit, insurance also covered about 66% of the total damage.
- The UDC wants those responsible to pay the remaining $1.4 million insurance didn't cover, $350,000 in punitive damages and their lawyer fees.
Zoom in: The UDC and the lawyer representing the organization didn't respond to Axios' request for comment on why they waited five years before suing.
- But UDC's president general, Julie Hardaway, said in a statement on Sunday that the lawsuit aims to stop their claims from "expiring" under the statute of limitations for property damage.
- She said it also allows them to use subpoenas to collect more footage for evidence.
Friction point: Identifying suspects has proven challenging in the past.
- And Richmond police spokesperson James Mercante told Axios that no arrests have been made in the case, as of Wednesday.
- Richmond officials identified one suspect in 2021, but the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office ultimately said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute them.
- "Given the darkness, use of masks and overall chaotic conditions," the office said they couldn't identify anyone else.
Between the lines: Similar reasons could explain why there weren't charges brought against protesters who took down Confederate monuments that summer, either.
- Within a month of people setting the UDC building on fire, protesters toppled at least two and unsuccessfully tried removing the massive J.E.B. Stuart one.
What else we're watching: The lawsuit comes as UDC faces repeated attempts from the state legislature to strip Confederate groups like them of their tax breaks.
- VPM estimates UDC's Richmond headquarters could run them over $53,000 in property taxes each year.