Historic Black Church Now Owns Rights To “Proud Boys” Name
Written by djfrosty on February 7, 2025
Source: The Washington Post / Getty
A historic Black church in Washington, D.C., now has the rights to the name of the Proud Boys organization after a court order.
On Monday (Feb. 3), a federal judge ruled that the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church now owns the trademark rights of the Proud Boys white nationalist organization. Judge Tanya M. Jones Bosier made the two-page ruling to fulfill a $2.8 million judgment against the Proud Boys by another judge to cover damages made to the historic Washington, D.C., church in December 2020 by members of the far-right group in what was deemed “a highly orchestrated attack” targeting Black churches after a rally by President Donald Trump.
The ruling states that in addition to the church owning the trademark, the Proud Boys now have to get consent from them to use it. Also, any proceeds from merchandise with the trademark, including hats and t-shirts that are sold by the organization, can be seized by the AME church at will. “The Church has a long history of standing up for justice and against all forms of hate,” the church’s leader, Rev. William H. Lamar IV, told CNN in an interview. “We are determined to hold the Proud Boys accountable and we will continue this fight.”
In a long statement on X, formerly Twitter, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio blasted the judgment by stating the church “must be subjected to a thorough audit, and its non-profit status revoked immediately” before adding, “This church has engaged in a campaign of harassment and falsehoods. We were subjected to unjust incarceration and mistreatment at the hands of our own government, leaving us no recourse. Their actions are a betrayal of justice, reminiscent of Judas’ treachery. I hold in contempt any motions, judgments, and orders issued against me.” Tarrio, who confessed to vandalizing the church in 2021, was recently freed by President Trump while serving a 22-year sentence for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He would later add another post on X, claiming: “The Proud Boys are now changing our name to the … ‘African Methodist Episcopal Boys.’”
Reverend Lamar was unfazed. “They need to know that it’s not OK to do this to Metropolitan, and it’s not OK to do this to anyone,” Lamar said to NBC Washington 4. “They must pay what the judge said, and now we own what is valuable to them, and we will collect.”