{"id":2369698,"date":"2024-11-16T09:08:02","date_gmt":"2024-11-16T14:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-dismisses-climate-change-activists-justification-for-targeting-constitution-just-plain-old-vandalism\/"},"modified":"2024-11-16T09:10:05","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T14:10:05","slug":"judge-dismisses-climate-change-activists-justification-for-targeting-constitution-just-plain-old-vandalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-dismisses-climate-change-activists-justification-for-targeting-constitution-just-plain-old-vandalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Dismisses Climate Change Activist\u2019s Justification for Targeting Constitution: \u2018Just Plain Old Vandalism\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-dismisses-climate-change-activists-justification-for-targeting-constitution-just-plain-old-vandalism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2369698&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/elon-musk-i-got-a-covid-test-four-times-in-one-day-two-came-back-negative-two-came-back-positive-the-daily-wire\/\" title=\"Elon Musk: I Got A COVID Test Four Times In One Day. \u2018Two Came Back Negative, Two Came Back Positive.\u2019 | The Daily Wire\">climate change<\/a>\u200c activist, Donald Zepeda, was sentenced to two years in prison for vandalizing a display\u200c of the\u200d U.S. Constitution by dumping red powder on it. U.S. District Judge \u2063Amy Berman Jackson criticized Zepeda&#8217;s \u200cactions, stating they \u2064did not help raise awareness about climate change and instead made activists\u2062 appear\u2062 &#8220;just\u2064 a bunch \u2064of \u2063crackpots.&#8221; Zepeda \u200cand\u200b a co-defendant, Jackson Green, are members of the group Declare Emergency and have a history\u2063 of \u2063similar protests, including \u200dprevious acts of vandalism. \u200dAlthough the \u200bConstitution itself was not harmed, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">incident caused considerable\u2063 disruption<\/a> and repair costs at the National Archives, prompting the evacuation of visitors. Zepeda&#8217;s\u200b past offenses also include\u2063 burgling an oil facility and damaging \u2063state property, which \u200bled to his previous imprisonment. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-progressive-prosecutor-freed-felon-who-went-on-to-murder-two-men\/\" title=\"Virginia Progressive Prosecutor Freed Felon Who Went On To Murder Two Men\">defense attorney argued<\/a> that Zepeda\u2019s \u2062intent was to create awareness about climate change, but this intention backfired dramatically.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A climate change activist who <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/constitution-protest-red-powder-national-archives-evacuation-5f426e8e62ab1ad56c9a8ce6fbbf996b\">dumped red powder<\/a> on a case containing the original copy of the U.S. Constitution was sentenced on Friday to two years in prison for his role in the vandalism earlier this year at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson told Donald Zepeda that his attack on the display of the priceless document did nothing to advance his cause.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You still think that was connected to the climate change problem, and I can&rsquo;t agree with that,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>Zepeda, a leader of Declare Emergency, was charged with another member of the climate change awareness group. Jackson sentenced Zepeda&rsquo;s co-defendant, Utah resident Jackson Green, on Tuesday to 18 months of prison.<\/p>\n<p>Zepeda, 35, of Maryland, pleaded guilty in August to destruction of federal property. The Constitution itself was not damaged.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The judge said &ldquo;eco-vandalism&rdquo; doesn&rsquo;t benefit the environment and only gives climate change skeptics more reason to believe that activists like Zepeda are &ldquo;just a bunch of crackpots.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just plain old vandalism,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>The National Archives evacuated visitors after the attack and remained closed for four days to make repairs costing over $58,000. Prosecutors said the stunt frightened visitors who didn&rsquo;t know that the red substance was paint powder.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Many undoubtedly feared that they were the subject of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-question-need-for-u-s-military-strike-in-syria\/\" title=\"Democrats question need for U.S. military strike in Syria\">chemical weapons attack<\/a>, a phenomenon which was not uncommon in D.C. in the not-too-distant past,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.265360\/gov.uscourts.dcd.265360.47.0.pdf\">a prosecutor wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors had recommended a four<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/president-trump-please-pardon-jon-woods-a-victim-of-process-crimes-like-michael-flynn\/\" title=\"President Trump, Please Pardon Jon Woods, a Victim of Process Crimes Like Michael Flynn\">-year prison sentence<\/a> for Zepeda, citing his roles in a string of similar stunts designed to call attention to climate change.<\/p>\n<p>He was sentenced to two months in prison for burglarizing an oil facility in 2017. He spent a week in jail for pouring syrup and colored liquid on the steps of the Florida capitol building. He has repeatedly blocked roadways with other activists.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2023, Zepeda helped plan and carry out climate action at the National Gallery of Art, where two other activists smeared paint on the exhibit of Edgar Degas&rsquo; &ldquo;Little Dancer Aged Fourteen&rdquo; sculpture.<a class=\"save-timestamp hide-if-no-js button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=3806075&amp;action=edit#edit_timestamp\">OK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Months later in November 2023, Zepeda, Green and other members of Declare Emergency targeted the National Gallery of Art again. This time, Zepeda recorded Green painting the words &ldquo;Honor Them&rdquo; on the wall next to &ldquo;The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial,&rdquo; a mural that commemorates one of the first Black regiments of the Civil War.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He has been committing these very crimes his entire adult life. Indeed, he has made engaging in these types of offenses his profession,&rdquo; a prosecutor wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Defense attorney Stephen Brennwald said Zepeda was shocked to learn how much it cost to clean up the mess that he helped make.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But he has come to accept that what he intended as a dramatic moment meant to shake the world awake from its climate slumber and stupor turned into something else completely,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.264635\/gov.uscourts.dcd.264635.53.0.pdf\">the lawyer wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson stated that his actions did not further his cause and criticized the notion of &#8220;eco-vandalism&#8221; as counterproductive. Zepeda had previously pleaded guilty to destruction of federal property; however, the Constitution itself remained unharmed. The incident led to a four-day closure of the Archives for repairs costing over $58,000 and caused panic among visitors who mistook the substance for a chemical attack. Prosecutors sought a four-year sentence due to Zepeda&#8217;s history of similar protests related to climate change awareness<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2369699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Picture-1-3.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[14436,13784,36794,16384],"class_list":["post-2369698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-activism","tag-climate-change","tag-legal-ruling","tag-vandalism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Picture-1-3.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2369698"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2369702,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2369698\/revisions\/2369702"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2369699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2369698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2369698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2369698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}