by Sharelle B. McNair
August 12, 2025
Nationwide Proud Boys chief Enrique Tarrio condemned the court docket’s preliminary ruling on the group’s trademark loss, saying throughout an interview, “I wipe my ass with it.”
Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, a historic Black establishment in Washington, D.C., has filed a lawsuit towards the New York chapter of the white nationalist group The Proud Boys for utilizing the identify and emblem on merchandise, because the church controls the “Proud Boys” trademark, WTOP experiences.
In a go well with filed in federal court docket within the Southern District of New York, Metropolitan AME accused the Hudson Valley Proud Boys Chapter, president William Pepe, and 100 “John Does” of trademark infringement to be used of the identify and black and yellow wreath emblem in on-line recruitment efforts and merchandise gross sales. The church despatched a cease-and-desist letter to Pepe, demanding that the chapter cease utilizing the Proud Boys identify inside its communications.
Whereas the group continues to disclaim any ties to white supremacy, Metropolitan “is making an attempt to evolve the ‘Proud Boys’ identify to be related to the Church’s mission of affection and humanity, moderately than white supremacy, hatred, and violence, and in doing so remodel and enhance the goodwill the Church inherited in connection therewith.”
The lawsuit is simply one other dent within the five-year-long battle between the group and the church, beginning in December 2020 when the Proud Boys destroyed Black Lives Matter indicators at two traditionally Black church buildings following a pro-Donald Trump rally. In accordance with WUSA 9, a D.C. decide awarded the church $2.8 million in damages and condemned the Proud Boys for his or her “hateful and overtly racist conduct.”
The New York chapter and Pepe allegedly violated the trademark awarded to the church after failing to pay the multimillion-dollar judgment for vandalizing the property in late 2020. “Defendants’ continued and unauthorized use of the ‘Proud Boys’ trademark with out fee of licensing or royalty charges dissipates the worth of the trademark and violates the lien’s prohibition towards the unauthorized dealing or disposition of the trademark,” the group of attorneys – Legal professionals’ Committee for Civil Rights Beneath Regulation, the Washington Legal professionals’ Committee for Civil Rights and City Affairs, and Paul Weiss, representing Metropolitan wrote within the go well with.
The church secured the rights to the group’s identify in February 2025 after the Proud Boys paid solely $1,500 of the judgment. Metropolitan was granted the rights in February 2025 and awarded the rights for the church to grab cash that the group made by gross sales of things bearing the trademark.
Metropolitan has promoted the yellow and black coloration scheme on its web site with look-alike shirts with traces like “Keep Proud, Keep Black.”
Nationwide Proud Boys chief Enrique Tarrio, who had his jail sentence pardoned by President Donald Trump after his involvement within the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, proudly condemned the court docket’s preliminary ruling on the group’s trademark loss. Throughout an interview with Rolling Stone journal, he mentioned, “I wipe my ass with it.”
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