Boston Police are still searching for a suspect wanted in connection with an act of arson on the morning of Wednesday, June 3, targeting a package containing Juneteenth decorations found behind the Museum of African American History on Joy Street.
The incident, which is being investigated as a possible hate crime, occurred at about 8:07 a.m, when the male suspect was caught on security camera opening an Amazon package containing the decorations and attempting to light it on fire behind the museum.
“While we do not yet know the circumstances surrounding this act, it serves as a sobering reminder that the stories we preserve, interpret, and share remain important and, at times, contested,” Dr. Noelle Trent, president and CEO of MAAH, wrote in an email to the museum community. “We take this incident seriously. Fire, even the smallest embers, can devastate historic buildings and neighborhoods like our beloved northern slope of Beacon Hill.”
The suspect, described by police as a white male, wearing a dark jacket, a light-colored shirt or sweatshirt underneath, dark pants, and white sneakers “appeared to be carrying a light-colored bag or package in one of the stills,” according to Boston Police.
Police urge anyone with information regrading the incident to contact District A-1 Detectives at 617-343-4571, or to provide information anonymously by calling 1-800-494-TIPS, text the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463); or submit a tip online through Boston Police CrimeStoppers.
Meanwhile, Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, together with Reps. Stephen Lynch and Ayanna Pressley, implored the National Park Service to fully investigate the matter in a June 5 letter to Acting Director Jessica Bowron.
“The Museum of African American History Boston-Nantucket operates the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill, which is the oldest existing Black church building in the country. Museum staff and visitors are understandably alarmed by this incident—both for the parallel it draws to hate crimes against Black activism and Black churches throughout history and for the immediate security risk it poses to their organization and the historic neighborhood around the Museum. Your public commitment to investigating this incident and your collaboration with the Museum will be critical to address these fears and secure a resolution,” the letter, which demanded a full investigation into the incident, including the sharing of any relevant security footage, read in part.
In the aftermath of the arson incident, Rep. Jay Livingstone told this reporter: “The Museum of African American History is an important nonprofit in Beacon Hill that I’m always happy to support. I’m incredibly disappointed in this violent act against the Museum and I hope the perpetrator is caught and brought to justice.”