Police: Church vandalism is a hate crime
Update: Monday, 2:15 p.m.
"It is a hate crime..." said Cmdr. Dan Lynch of the Melbourne Police Department. A reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.
Original Story
A predominantly black church targeted by vandals a third time is reaching out for help as Melbourne police work to figure out if a hate crime was involved.
"We're asking if there is anyone out there who can help us to secure that side of our campus. The vandals actually bought axes to chop through our access points to get in," said Bishop Jacquelyn Gordon, whose church New Shiloh Christian Church moved into the 125,000 foot industrial complex nearly two years ago.
"We've been in the process of developing that part of the complex," she said, adding that the church was already in the process of securing funds to renovate the area and improve security.
Already this year the church – which has two locations in Melbourne and 1,500 members – has been hit three times by vandalism that Melbourne police have attributed to juveniles, although no evidence of that presumption has been formally provided, officials point out.
With the last incident, Melbourne police contacted the FBI but it was unclear what role the federal agency played in the investigation. Melbourne police did return several calls from FLORIDA TODAY about the latest investigation. A press conference is set for 2 p.m. this afternoon.
Each of the incidents were investigated but church officials have not had any follow ups or a phone call from detectives, Gordon said.
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"We're not trying to make them look bad but we need somebody to help us," she said today.
It was not immediately known if Melbourne police had contacted any outside agency to assist with the case.
Sunday, church workers found another round of vandalism with flower vases flipped over, spent fire extinguishers and a pickup truck with smashed-out windows rolled into four feet of murky green water stagnant in a flooded loading dock.
Most chilling for members at the predominantly black congregation was the small handwritten message left behind on the front fender of the old Chevy pickup pulled from the water. The words: "SS Charleston."
"I asked the question of why this is happening to us ... why here, but evidently, being out here is bothering somebody. The Lord gave us this building and we're not going anywhere," Gordon said, adding that the church already has a security team in place.
"It makes you wonder, what next? The police keep telling us that this is just kids, but why would kids be targeting a church? And why haven't the police told us anything? No one called after the last time to tell us anything else. I just want to know why it seems like this isn't being taken seriously," Gordon said, shortly before delivering a sermon that touched on her call to pray for the offenders and God's continuing protection.
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A worker with the congregation at New Shiloh Christian Center at 3900 Sarno Road made the latest discovery during a walk-through Sunday morning. Melbourne police — who contacted the FBI in the previous case involving the church — spent several hours investigating the break-in and searching for evidence.
"Right now, we are close-patrolling the area," said Lt. Steve Sadoff, a spokesman for the Melbourne Police Department.
"We are investigating what happened," Sadoff said, adding that detectives are trying to determine the intent of the message "SS Charleston" and whether leaving it at the church constitutes a hate crime.
"We can't give any definite determinations at this time," Sadoff said Sunday. No arrests were made and police are not sure if the same vandals were involved in each of the cases.
The vandalism and its cryptic message also comes weeks after the June 17 Charleston, South Carolina, massacre raised concerns about church security nationwide. Nine people, including the pastor, were shot to death at Emanuel AME church in Charleston after police said an avowed white supremacist attended a bible study.
Sunday, church members were also concerned for the safety of Gordon. Members found a 15- to 20-pound portrait of Gordon and her husband removed from its place and taken about another 100 feet to be propped along a wall near a tall vase of flowers that had been flipped over.
"Somebody carried that picture that distance. I am worried about her," said Bufus Jefferson, a longtime church member who works directly with Gordon.
Earlier in February, vandals set fire to a storage room at the church's sprawling Sarno Road campus and scrawled a swastika on a storage unit wall, leaving behind at least $5,000 in damages. Sprinklers were activated, which Gordon credited with keeping the fire from spreading further into the 125,000 square-foot church.
Also found was blue graffiti reading "Allahu Akbar," which means "Our God is great" in Arabic. The words "We see u" were painted in the swastika.
A second incident happened in March at the church's south Melbourne campus, with vandals leaving behind a spray painted noose and the message, "what is the $ of your soul?" on a church van.
Church services, bible studies and a breakfast program continued at Shiloh despite the vandalism with members praying and shaking their heads in disbelief at the news of another break-in. Gordon offered comfort, and prayers were made for protection during the 11 a.m. service.
"I pray for them … whoever it is behind the attacks. Father we will not fear," Gordon said in prayer.
"The only thing I ask is that (God) keeps us safe. We cast our cares on you and this, too, is going to pass."