DC Historic Black Church Files Trademark Infringement Lawsuit Against Proud Boys Chapter

The historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., has filed a lawsuit against a New York chapter of the Proud Boys, alleging trademark infringement. The church, which now controls the “Proud Boys” name and associated symbols, claims the group’s use of the name and its black and yellow wreath logo in online recruiting and merchandise sales violates its intellectual property rights. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York and targets the Hudson Valley Proud Boys Chapter, its president William Pepe, and 100 unnamed individuals.

This legal action is part of a five-year dispute between the church and the white nationalist group. The conflict escalated after Proud Boys members destroyed Black Lives Matter signs at two historically Black churches during a violent incident in December 2020. In 2023, a D.C. judge awarded the church $2.8 million in damages, condemning the Proud Boys’ conduct as “hateful and overtly racist.” Following a partial payment of $1,500 in February 2025, the court granted the church the right to use the Proud Boys’ name and symbols, and to claim profits from merchandise sales that included the trademark.

The Metropolitan AME Church has since adopted the Proud Boys’ color scheme on its website and began selling shirts with slogans like “Stay Proud, Stay Black.” The church stated its goal is to “evolve the ‘Proud Boys’ name to be associated with the Church’s mission of love and humanity, rather than white supremacy, hatred, and violence.” The Proud Boys have consistently denied allegations of white supremacy.

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who was pardoned by President Trump after serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, expressed contempt for the court’s ruling awarding the trademark to the church. In a Rolling Stone interview, Tarrio dismissed the judgment, saying, “I wipe my ass with it.” The Hudson Valley chapter, Pepe, and the John Does have not yet filed any court documents in the New York trademark suit as of Monday morning.

Source: Read the original report