Elections

Black church set ablaze, graffitied with ‘Vote Trump’

By ELIZABETH KOH

ekoh@mcclatchy.com

November 02, 2016 11:29 AM

Delta Daily News reporter Angie Quezada shared photos of a historically black church in Mississippi that was reportedly set on fire and graffitied with the words ‘Vote Trump’ late Tuesday night. Angie Quezada Twitter

A black church in Mississippi was reportedly set on fire and graffitied with the words ‘Vote Trump’ late Tuesday night, according to several news reports Wednesday.

Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville was cordoned off with caution tape after authorities responded to the fire in the western Mississippi city. Greenville Fire Chief Ruben Brown told the Delta Daily News that the fire broke out around 9:15 p.m. and largely damaged the main sanctuary, but no injuries were reported.

A reporter for Delta Daily News, Angie Quezada, shared photos of the crime scene after the fire was reported.

November 2, 2016
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“This is so heartbreaking,” she wrote. “Not so much for the message on the building, but this is a church that's been around for so long in the community.”

The Huffington Post reported that the church, which has served the community for years, is a historically black church. The FBI told the Clarion-Ledger that it was “aware of the situation” and working with several levels of law enforcement “to determine if any civil rights crimes were violated.”

A GoFundMe to help repair the church was started Wednesday morning and had garnered nearly $500 in donations in the first hour.