Atlanta , Georgia ( CNN ) -- The doors to the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference civil rights group have been welded shut and padlocked , an escalation in a power struggle between two factions claiming leadership of the organization , the two sides said Tuesday . The doors were discovered shut Monday night . The Rev . Markel Hutchins , a recent aspirant to the organization 's presidency who claims to be on the board , said the doors were welded and padlocked to keep the current leadership out of the headquarters building . `` They refused to leave the building , and under the law you ca n't remove them forcibly , '' Hutchins told CNN affiliate WSB . `` So what we had to do was make certain we secured the building while no one was inside to protect the safety and security and the integrity of the organization . '' `` I am troubled by this conduct . It is the act of reckless individuals , '' SCLC Chairwoman Sylvia Tucker said in a statement released Tuesday . `` Hutchins has no right to be on SCLC property , '' Tucker said . `` His conduct of vandalizing and damaging SCLC property proves that Hutchins will do anything to try to control the SCLC . '' Tucker and her faction say that Hutchins has never been on the board of the SCLC or been a national officer for the organization . The Rev . Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the co-founders of the SCLC , which was formed in 1957 to coordinate protest activities across the Southeast , the group 's website says . The organization has seen a power struggle dating back about a decade , said Ralph Luker , a retired professor who specialized in the civil rights movement and has been an observer of the SCLC . But the current crisis stems from accusations that former officers diverted SCLC funds into non-SCLC accounts , he said . Those charges remain under investigation . A former chairman and former treasurer were removed from the board , and those who backed them formed the faction that is quarrelling with the current leadership . Hutchins aligned himself with the faction backing the ousted leaders , Luker said . Hutchins ran for SCLC president last year but was defeated by Bernice King , Martin Luther King Jr. 's daughter . He was then appointed to the board by the faction led by the ousted chairman , a move that a judge has since ruled invalid . `` That essentially is what this is about : who effectively is going to control the organization , '' Luker said .
Action comes amid power struggle between factions claiming leadership of SCLC . The group is a successor to the original Black Panther Party that was founded in Oakland, California, by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in 1966. Markel Hutchins : Doors secured to keep current leadership out of the building . Sylvia Tucker : Conduct ` ` is the act of reckless individuals '' Hutchins wants to lead SCLC , claims to be on board ; Tucker is SCLC chairwoman .