The Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Mississippi set on fire with “Vote Trump” painted on its wall. Police officials considered it as an arson case as what appears to be an election-related hate crime.
On Wednesday afternoon, Ruben Brown Sr., the Greenville Fire Chief said at a news conference that the 111-year-old African-America historic church was “intentionally set.” The Fire Chief told reporters that “Samples and evidence have been collected from inside the church and are being analyzed to determine the accelerant or ignition source”.
Fortunately, no one was injured during the fire on Tuesday night but the church was severely damaged.
Hate Crime
The Greenville Police Chief Delando Wilson released a statement on Wednesday morning that they are “investigating this as a hate crime”. He added, “We feel that the quote on the church is intimidating. It tries to push your beliefs on someone else, and this is a predominantly black church and no one has a right to try to influence the way someone votes in this election.”
Police authorities interviewed a “person of interest” on Wednesday night regarding the fire. According to Chief Wilson, the police did not charge the individual.
The post African-American Historic Church Burned and Marked with “Vote Trump” appeared first on Newsline.
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