Priscilla Presley, widow of the legendary Elvis Presley, has spoken out against the recent vandalism at Graceland. A stone wall surrounds the Memphis, TN estate. Sometime between late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, someone spray-painted the wall with graffiti.
Presley shared her thoughts on the matter in a post on Facebook.
“Concerning the graffiti at Graceland, I’m absolutely horrified that those in our own city disgraced the walls surrounding Graceland,” Presley posted to Facebook on Thursday. “I’m saddened by acts like this and appalled by this behavior. We were able to clean all the graffiti off thanks to our dedicated crew.”
Elvis Presley bought the Graceland estate in 1957, and lived there for 20 years until he passed away in 1977. His wife, Priscilla, was largely responsible for turning Graceland into the historic site and tourist destination that it is known for today.
After Elvis died, the costs to maintain the estate almost forced Priscilla to sell Graceland. However, she instead worked to open the property to the public, which saved the estate and allowed fans to visit. Graceland, opened to the public in 1982, hosts over 600,000 visitors annually.
Graceland Property Damage Details
Early Tuesday morning, workers at Graceland came across the spray-painted stone walls in the front of the property. The wall had numerous protest slogans written on it with thick black and orange lettering. Additionally, phrases including “Black Lives Matter,” “Defund MPD,” and “F*** Trump” covered the wall.
Each year, fans who visit Graceland write messages on the stone wall as tributes to the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll. The large graffiti covered many of the messages. Although, workers with pressure washers started cleaning the graffiti off the wall later the same day.
Meanwhile, there is debate online over the identity of the vandals. It’s unclear if anyone involved with the Black Lives Matter movement actually took part in the vandalism. Of course, some blame liberal protestors for the graffiti, and others are claiming that “infiltrators” that are seeking to tarnish the Black Lives Matter movement were liable.
Memphis police are currently investigating the property damage.
[H/T Taste of Country]
