(GERMANY OUT) birthplace of Martin Luther King in Sweet Auburn quarter in Atlanta Georgia USA (Photo by Braunger/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
<p>A 26-year-old woman is in police custody after attempting to wipe <strong>Dr.</strong> <strong>Martin Luther King Jr.</strong>&#8216;s <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/mike-epps-wife-kyra-neighborhood-childhood-block-renovating-homes-family/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">birth home</a> off the map.</p>
<p>Local Atlanta police arrested <strong>Laneisha Shantrice Henderson </strong>on Dec. 7 outside of the historic site on Auburn Ave. She was charged with criminal attempt arson and criminal attempt interference with government property, per <a href="https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/police-investigating-after-person-tries-vandalize-martin-luther-king-jrs-home-near-king-center/NEBC6LEK4RABJNRYEKTFV6X7AU/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WSB-TV</a>.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Here&#8217;s What Police Say Happened At Martin Luther King Jr.&#8217;s Home</h3>
<p>A witness, filmmaker Zach Kempf, said Henderson was pouring the gasoline on the shrubs. Then, she rushed up the stairs and tried to enter the home by yanking on the screen door.</p>
<p>Video obtained by the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/us/martin-luther-king-mlk-home-arson.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a> shows Henderson standing on the front porch of the Martin Luther King Jr. home with a five-gallon red, plastic, gasoline tub. The clip shows her pouring the gasoline on one front window and in the nearby bushes.</p>
<p>Kempf said she threw the empty canister into the bushes then grabbed a lighter from the grass area near the porch. He reportedly blocked her from getting back on the porch with it and called 911.</p>
<p>Though she seemed &#8220;nervous,&#8221; Kempf said she wasn&#8217;t &#8220;aggressive.&#8221; He was the one who called over the two off-duty NYPD officers who detained her.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;The action saved an important part of American history tonight,&#8221; APD Chief Darin Schierbaum said reportedly said on Thursday.</p></blockquote>
<p>According to the New York Times, the woman&#8217;s father and sisters said Henderson suffers from a mental illness. The family arrived on the scene shortly after the bystanders stopped the reported veteran. They revealed they had tracked the woman using her phone location signal.</p>
<p><amp-twitter data-tweetid="1732951494545101126" layout="responsive" width="600" height="480"></amp-twitter></p>
<p>Martin Luther King Jr.&#8217;s home is a two-story Queen Anne-style house dated to 1895. The civil rights activist lived in the home for the first 12 years of his life. It is now a federal landmark and part of Atlanta&#8217;s Auburn Avenue Historic District.</p>
<p>Police are still investigating the attempted arson.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">RELATED: <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/cops-two-people-fire-atlanta-apartment-complex-fireworks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">28 People Reportedly Displaced &; Two Arrested In Connection To Fire At Atlanta Apartment Complex</a></h5>
 <div class="wpra-reactions-wrap wpra-plugin-container" style="justify-content: center;;"> <div class="wpra-reactions-container" data-ver="1.3.10" data-post_id="152092" data-show_count="true" data-enable_share="onclick" data-behavior="regular" data-animation="true" data-share_url="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/woman-burn-down-martin-luther-king-jr-birth-home/" data-secure="40a47892f0"> <div class="wpra-call-to-action" style="color: #000000;font-size: 25px;font-weight: 600;">What Do You Think Roomies?</div> <div class="wpra-reactions wpra-static-emojis size-medium" style="border-color: #ffffff;border-width: 0px;border-radius: 50px;border-style: solid;background: #ffffff;">					<div class="emoji-8 wpra-reaction wpra-pad-fix" data-count="" data-emoji_id="8"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-10 wpra-reaction wpra-pad-fix" data-count="" data-emoji_id="10"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-4 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="4"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-5 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="5"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-2 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="2"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-7 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="7"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div><div class="emoji-12 wpra-reaction" data-count="" data-emoji_id="12"> <div class="wpra-plus-one">+1</div>	 <div style="background-color: #ff0015" class="wpra-arrow-badge arrow-bottom-left hide-count"> <span style="border-top-color: #ff0015" class="tail"></span> <span style="color: #ffffff" class="count-num">0</span> </div>	</div> </div> <div class="wpra-share-wrap wpra-share-buttons-bordered" style="">				 </div> <!-- end of share buttons -->			 </div> <!-- end of reactions container --> </div> <!-- end of reactions wrap -->		
