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Woman arrested for allegedly trying to burn down MLK’s birth home after tourists intervene

December 10, 2023 | | Print Article

A black, female U.S. Navy veteran is behind bars after she allegedly attempted to burn down Dr. Martin Luther King’s Atlanta birth home.

Laneisha Henderson, 26, was detained by tourists — two of whom just happened to be retired NYPD officers — on Thursday after she was spotted at the historic home pouring gasoline on the front porch and surrounding bushes from a red gas can.

“That action saved an important part of American history tonight,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told Channel 2 Action News.

Another tourist from Utah, Zach Kempf, recorded Henderson as police were called.

“What are you doing?” he can be heard asking Henderson. When she tried to wave him off, he said, “No, that’s gasoline.”

“It was a little scary there for a minute because we didn’t know who she was,” Kempf told Channel 2. “We didn’t know if she had weapons on her or anything.”

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“She grabbed a lighter and started to come back up the stairs,” he recalled. “So, I stood at the stairs and said you can’t do this and blocked her.”

That’s when New York’s finest stepped in.

“There’s no reason to it and it would have just been gone,” Kenneth Dodson, one of the NYPD officers, said. “So, you know, by blessing we just happened to be there.”

Had the good Samaritans not been there to stop Henderson, said Atlanta Fire Department Battalion Chief Jerry DeBerry, the iconic civil rights leader’s birth home could have been lost.

“It could have been a matter of seconds before the house was engulfed in flames,” DeBerry told Channel 2.

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On Saturday, Henderson, who was arrested and charged with criminal attempted arson and criminal attempt to interfere with government property, appeared before a Fulton County judge who denied the would-be arsonist bond.

“The judge said during her bond hearing that he did not feel he could grant her bond because of her unstable place of residence and the severity of the crime she’s charged with,” Channel 2 reports.

According to the station, Henderson could face more federal charges as the “historic site is now a museum operated by the National Park Service.”

For now, she remains in custody at the Fulton County Jail.

Though no motive has been revealed, on X, many are wondering why the attempt to destroy a site that honors Dr. Martin Luther King hasn’t made bigger headlines.

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“Cause she’s, dare I say…… black,” suggested one user.

It’s a sentiment shared by many.

“Laneisha is just trying to meet the growing demand for hate crimes to be blamed on imaginary White people,” explained one user.

“The black woman face of white supremacy strikes again,” said another.

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“Another race hoax stopped before it got going,” said a third.

“Of course” the media isn’t reporting on the incident, one user said. “Doesn’t fit the narrative.”

Melissa Fine
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