Oregon county employee arrested for defacing dead Black man's memorial with a swastika

On Friday, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that a Clackamas County government worker has been arrested for destroying a memorial for a Black man who died in police custody.

"Collin Michael Williams, who is white, was arrested Thursday and charged with a bias crime, criminal mischief and abuse of a memorial," OPB. "On Wednesday, Oregon City police received a report that a memorial display near the county's developmental services building had been vandalized. The memorial display was the result of a vigil held days earlier for Jermelle Madison, who had been found unresponsive in the county's jail in June and later died. Madison's death remains under investigation."

According to the report, Williams spray-painted a swastika on the nearby sidewalk after vandalizing the memorial. He was caught after police flagged his purchase of a can of spray paint, and found a social media post of himself committing the vandalism, with the video caption, "I unenthusiastically commit a hate crime."

Hate crimes have risen dramatically in recent years, with the FBI warning in 2020 that they were at their highest level in over a decade. The incident also comes amid heightened social scrutiny of Black men and boys who have died following interactions with police.