Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock called for prayers after a woman attempted an arson on Dr. Martin Luther King’s childhood home.
During his sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, located one block away on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Warnock addressed the crime and the person accused.
“You probably saw the news that an obviously very troubled young woman tried to set fire to the birth home of Martin Luther King Jr.,” Warnock said. “We’re not so much mad at her as much as we’re praying for her, for she is obviously troubled.”
Warnock continued, “We know somebody who can reach her and can lift her. We know somebody who loves her. Anybody here know a God who looks beyond your faults and sees your needs?”
Laneisha Shantrice Henderson, 26, was caught on video throwing gasoline on the home, in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn Historic District. She was denied bond on Saturday by Fulton County Magistrate Judge Holly Hughes who her unstable place of residence and the nature of the crime.
Henderson, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, has dealt with mental health issues according to her family.
Two retired New York City officers were credited for stopping Henderson from initiating the fire and were both honored in New York for their efforts. Warnock also thanked the officers during his sermon.
Henderson was charged with second degree arson and interfering with government property. She could also face federal charges since the MLK’s childhood home is on federal property.
