They Tried to Erase Arthur Ashe’s Legacy. The Law Said No.

A federal court ordered Patriot Front and its members to pay more than $470,000 after a racially motivated attack targeting a mural honoring Arthur Ashe in Richmond, Virginia. Read more

In Richmond, Virginia’s Battery Park residents honored hometown tennis legend Arthur Ashe with a mural celebrating Black achievement, community pride and resilience.

Then Patriot Front targeted it.

In 2021, members of the white nationalist group vandalized and destroyed the mural in a planned act of racial intimidation. Residents reported fear, anxiety and deep emotional harm after the attack transformed a neighborhood gathering space into what one resident described as “a scary place.”

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed suit on behalf of Battery Park residents.

And we won.

A federal court found Patriot Front, its leader Thomas Rousseau, and members William Ring and Jacob Brown liable on all counts and ordered them to pay more than $470,000.

This case sends a clear message:

Attacks on Black communities will not go unchecked.

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Arthur Ashe's Legacy

Arthur Ashe grew up in segregated Richmond and learned to play tennis in Battery Park.

He became the first Black man to win the U.S. Open and went on to become one of the most influential athletes and humanitarians in American history.

For the Battery Park community, the mural honoring Ashe represented more than public art. It reflected neighborhood pride, Black excellence, and the enduring legacy of a hometown figure who broke barriers on and off the court.

In October 2021, Patriot Front members planned and carried out a coordinated attack targeting the Arthur Ashe mural.

During the vandalism, members used racial slurs and defaced the mural with extremist imagery connected to the organization’s white nationalist ideology.

In our lawsuit, a federal court ultimately found that “racial animus against Black individuals and their supporters animated Defendants’ conduct.”

In other words, the attack was not random vandalism.

It was an intentional act meant to intimidate a majority-Black community and erase a public symbol honoring Black achievement.

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Impact on Residents

The attack deeply affected residents of Battery Park.

One of our clients, a longtime Battery Park resident, removed Black Lives Matter signs from their home, enrolled in a self-defense class and obtained first responder medical training because they no longer felt safe in their neighborhood.

Another client reported that their child experienced significant stress and anxiety after the incident.

Battery Park — once described as “an important locus of release and joy” — became a place residents avoided.

In ruling for our clients, the court recognized the emotional and psychological harm caused by Patriot Front’s actions and the broader impact racial intimidation can have on an entire community.

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Civil Rights Law and the Case

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed suit in federal court on behalf of Battery Park residents.

The case included claims under:

• The Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 
• Virginia civil rights law prohibiting racial intimidation 

The court found Patriot Front, its leader, and several of its members liable on all counts.

Defendants were ordered to pay more than $470,000.

The plaintiffs were represented by:

• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law 
• Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP 
• The Paul Weiss Center to Combat Hate 

Why Accountability Matters

This case is about more than a mural.

It is about protecting communities from hate-driven intimidation and ensuring extremist groups face consequences for racially motivated attacks.

The Lawyers’ Committee continues to combat organized hate through litigation, advocacy and the work of the James Byrd Jr. Center to Stop Hate.

The ruling in this case strengthens ongoing efforts to disrupt extremist networks and protect communities targeted because of race.