In Atlanta, Georgia today, the racist symbols of the Confederate flag were placed around an African-American church Ebenezer Baptist Church, as well as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site Visitor Center on the morning of July 30, 2015.

Christian pastor Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of civil rights movement for freedom and equality for African-American citizens in the United States of America.  The  Ebenezer Baptist Church was where Dr. King and his father were Christian pastors, and it was also his boyhood home and where he was baptized.

A church maintenance man spotted the four Confederate flags around the church grounds at 6 AM on July 30.   The Confederate symbols of racist hatred, slavery, and treason were also placed near a sign which read “Black Lives Matter.”  The Ebenezer Baptist Church has been getting read for a Communion Sunday service.

Ebenezer’s pastor, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, said the placement of the flags was a terrorist act meant to intimidate, and stated “Let the message go out that we will not be shaken by this.” “We will not be intimidated.” “This is a sickening and troubling and provocative act.” “Coming on the heels of the Charleston massacre … you have to take something like this seriously.”

The Atlanta Police Department has video of two white men leaving the scene.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the comments of a woman who lives near the church: “This breaks my heart. It’s just taking the flag to another level. That flag represents what happened in the past. And too many people are holding on to that past. It just hurts.”

Among the many services provided to the community by the Ebenezer Baptist Church, “The Ebenezer Baptist Church Community Outreach Ministry is committed to feeding the homeless and clothing the naked and nurturing the soul.”

This comes a day after a white police officer has been charged with murder after the shooting death of African-American Sam Dubose in Cincinnati.