Vandalism at Black Church in Massachusetts Being Investigated as Hate Crime

Everett police and the city’s mayor are characterizing vandalism reported at Zion Baptist Church, a Black church in the city, as a hate crime. A large wooden cross that has rested in the same location at the church for years was found in a nearby yard. (Google Maps)

Everett police and the city’s mayor are characterizing vandalism reported at Black church earlier this week as a hate crime.

Zion Baptist Church’s property was vandalized early Thursday. In a statement, the Everett Police Department said it’s treating the action as a hate crime.

“This was not an accident but a hate crime against Zion Ministries and their community,” Mayor Carlo DeMaria wrote in a Facebook post, noting the church is a “long-standing and integral member” of the community. “As mayor, I’m repulsed and distraught that someone would intentionally vandalize a religious organization in our community. There is absolutely no room for any hate in Everett.”

The mayor offered his thoughts and prayers to Bishop Robert G. Brown of Zion Ministries, Marcia Brown and all members of the church.

In an interview with The Boston Globe, the bishop said the church’s office manager came to work in the morning and found a large wooden cross missing from where it stood for the last two or three years. Instead, she noticed it lying in a yard next to the church.

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SOURCE: MassLive.com, Jackson Cote