Climate activists indicted for smearing paint on Degas sculpture case at National Gallery

Two climate activists who allegedly smeared paint on a case surrounding 19th century French artist Edgar Degas’ "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen" sculpture at Washington, D.C.’s National Gallery of Art last month were taken into custody Friday and face federal charges.

Timothy Martin, 53, and Joanna Smith, 53, both surrendered themselves to authorities Friday after they were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., said in a release. 

Martin and Smith, along with other unindicted co-conspirators with the climate group Declare Emergency, walked into the art museum with the intent of damaging the sculpture, the indictment alleges.

ACTIVISTS VANDALIZE SCOTLAND'S ‘BRAVEHEART’ MONUMENT IN CLIMATE PROTEST

The two allegedly smuggled the paint in plastic water bottles and had other conspirators film them smearing the paint of the base and the see-through case, while sometimes hitting the roughly 143-year-old priceless artwork with force, on their phones, according ot the release. They also alerted two reporters from the Washington Post who arrived and took photos of the vandalism. 

The April 27 incident caused $2,400 in damage and forced staff to remove "Little Dancer" from the galleries for 10 days for repairs, the release said. 

RADICAL CLIMATE ACTIVISTS TARGET PRICELESS ART BUT EXPERTS WARN VANDALS ONLY HURTING THEIR CAUSE 

The vandalism is being investigated by the FBI’s Art Crime Team, with assistance from National Gallery of Art Police, and U.S. Park Police.

All of the charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. 

Declare Emergency, who took credit for the attack, tweeted that they wanted to send a message about climate change.

"Around 11 am today two parents who are terrified about their children’s futures (as well as all children) made a statement at the National Gallery in DC. Climate change will cause famine, floods, droughts and destruction unless we act now," Declare Emergency tweeted.

Declare Emergency told Fox News Digital in a statement that it understands the importance of art, but also needs to show how urgent the climate change issue is.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"We understand the value and importance of art in our society, and we also know that it and everything we love is at stake if we don’t tackle the climate emergency with the urgency that it deserves," the group said. "We have to convey how dire this situation is, in whatever nonviolent way that we can. We need to engage with the climate emergency emotionally, and actions such as this one draw that out in us. They bring us to the emotional state that we need to be in to realize how bad things really are. Only after getting to that place will we find the motivation and the resolve to truly save ourselves."

How to uncover your home's history with hidden Google Maps tool

Google Maps has been around for quite some time now, and one of its most useful features called Street View gives a virtual view of your home's own curb appeal making it feel like you are there in person up close. This is an especially great tool if you're going someplace new and want to familiarize yourself with the area and what the landscape looks like first. 

CLICK TO GET KURT’S FREE CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH QUICK TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, SECURITY ALERTS AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER 

However, did you know that you can go back in time and look at what a location looked like years ago? Google Maps has been storing every image taken of every location dating back to 2007, so you can even see what your own home looked like way back when. While some locations won't have updated photos every year, some can go back 10 to 15 years.

Here's how to access this feature. 

MORE: HOW GOOGLE MAPS LETS LOVED ONE KNOW YOU'RE SAFE AT ALL TIMES 

Google Maps has tons of other useful features that you can use too. Here are some of my favorite ones. 

HOW TO CHECK THAT YOU'RE NOT ACCIDENTALLY SHARING YOUR LOCATION

When looking at a location, you can do a lot more than just look at Street View. Google Maps gives multiple different views based on your needs, including a traffic view, transit view, biking view, and more. Here's how to select a different view. 

FOR MORE OF MY TIPS, SUBSCRIBE TO MY FREE CYBERGUY REPORT NEWSLETTER BY HEADING TO CYBERGUY.COM/NEWSLETTER 

Google Maps will also give you tons of useful places located near the location you're searching for, including hotels, restaurants, things to do, and more. Here's how to locate those options. 

MORE: APPLE MAPS FEATURE THAT CAN HELP YOU FIND A PARKING SPACE  

If you need the map with you on the go, you can send the location from your computer to your phone as long as you have a Google account. 

Everyone is a bit nostalgic. So, you'll want to check out Google Maps cool feature that lets you explore images of locations dating back to 2007. Whether you're using a laptop or a phone, you can easily access this feature by searching for a location, selecting the picture of the location, and then choosing the "See more dates" option. It's a fascinating way to see how places have changed over time. And that's not all. Google Maps also offers other useful features like different views (traffic, transit, biking) and recommendations for nearby stores. 

Have you tried these tricks within Google Maps yet? Do you think you or Google should be in control of your home’s publicly stored street images? Let us know by writing us at CyberGuy.com/Contact 

For more of my tips, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to CyberGuy.com/Newsletter 

Copyright 2023 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. 

About Us

Virtus (virtue, valor, excellence, courage, character, and worth)

Vincit (conquers, triumphs, and wins)