Should this qualify as a hate crime?
DALLAS - Three churches in Southeast Oak Cliff were vandalized over the weekend by someone using red spray paint to spell out anti-Christian messages.
While Dallas police are trying to determine if it’s the work of the same person or group, pastors are hoping whoever vandalized the properties gets the help they need.
Senior Pastor Clarence Preston drove up to Beth-Eden Baptist Church on Sunday morning to find the word “lies” spray painted in big red letters underneath the church steeple.
“Well, it’s not something I appreciated,” said Sr. Pastor Clarence Preston. “As a matter of fact it was very unappreciated.”
Preston believes the person or persons responsible vandalized the house of worship Saturday night or early Sunday morning.
Just down the street on Singing Hills Drive, two other churches were also hit — St. Luke Presbyterian Church and St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church.
St. Luke’s got it the worse, with the words “scam,” “all lies,” and “not commming” spray-painted on the side of the church. There was also the word “Jesus” with a slash through it.
The graffiti was visible to children walking home from school on Monday. Someone at St. Luke’s tried covering some of it up with black trash bags.
“This person is crying out for help. They’ve been hurt some way spiritually and the enemy is just trying to turn them away from what we know is the truth,” Charles Etta Preston.
Pastor Preston says he and the pastor of St. Phillips have contacted Dallas police about the vandalism. DPD has not said if they have any suspects or witnesses or if they believe the crimes are related. All three churches were vandalized using red spray paint and the word “lies” written on all three.
“We do not know the motivation or the rationale as to why they would perpetrate such activity as this,” Pastor Preston said.
His wife said there is a chance for redemption.