Two climate activists who vandalized the National Archives Rotunda in Washington, D.C., back in February were sentenced to more than a year in federal prison on Monday. Donald Zepeda of Maryland and Jackson Green of Utah, in an attempt to raise awareness about climate change, dumped red powder throughout the Rotunda, a popular attraction visited by students, tourists, and others. The Rotunda houses some of the nation’s most significant documents, including the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
The case containing the Constitution was severely damaged in the incident. The total cost of the vandalism amounted to $58,000, and the Rotunda was closed for four days. The building also had to be evacuated immediately after the incident, as the contents of the powder were initially unknown.
WATCH:
Just now: the Rotunda of the National Archives in Washington DC was evacuated after two climate activists dumped red powder on themselves and the case holding the United States Constitution.
Both were arrested in minutes. pic.twitter.com/opeTJcs7GH
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) February 14, 2024
On Monday, Zepeda was sentenced to 24 months in prison, while Green received a 14-month sentence, as announced in a press release by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office. Zepeda pleaded guilty on August 15 to felony destruction of property for dumping the red powder on the U.S. Constitution. Green also pleaded guilty to felony destruction of property on August 13, and in connection with a separate act of vandalism, he pleaded guilty to one charge related to an incident at the National Gallery of Art on November 13, 2023, where he targeted a memorial to black Civil War soldiers. Green had been charged for vandalizing the Civil War memorial 13 days before participating in the rotunda incident.
In addition to their prison sentences, Zepeda and Green were ordered to serve 24 months of supervised release and pay $58,600 in restitution each. They will also be required to complete community service, including cleaning up graffiti in the D.C. area. Furthermore, the two men have been banned from all D.C. museums and several other locations across the United States. According to a report from Fox News, Zepeda and Green are members of Declare Emergency, an activist group that seeks to raise awareness about climate change through various criminal activities, primarily in D.C.
“We don’t want the end of civilization, but that’s the path we’re currently on,” the group wrote in an X post alongside footage of the incident on the day of. Declare Emergency released an additional statement in the wake of the sentencing, stating that they had anticipated the penalty would be strict. “Despite lack of evidence that any damage was done, both Green and Zepeda were charged with felony destruction of government property,” the group wrote in a statement on their website. “The tempera paint powder was selected because it would do no harm, and indeed no powder entered the case.”