The following comes from a January 30 news release from the Arcadia Police Department.
Two Arcadia churches have been broken into and vandalized within the last two weeks. The first incident occurred overnight, Saturday to Sunday, January 19-20, at the Church of the Good Shepherd (Methodist) , 400 West Duarte Road. The suspect(s) forced open a door to the church office, ransacked the interior, and threw clergy robes on the ground. A fire extinguisher was discharged in the office and the suspect(s) burned part of a portrait hanging on the office wall before making off with a guitar and other sound equipment.
Early this morning, shortly after 2:30 a.m., the police department received a 9-1-1 call from a passerby reporting suspicious activity at Holy Angels Church (Roman Catholic), 330 Campus Drive, Arcadia. Police and fire units arrived on scene and discovered an administrative building on the church property had been broken into and there was smoke inside the building. Evidence of a small fire was found against an interior hallway wall, having burnt a small area of carpet and papers. It appears the suspect(s) broke an office window to gain entry. Once inside, two religious statues and a DVD player were broken and tossed to the ground inside a small chapel, and an interior office door was kicked in. It appeared the suspect(s) also rummaged through several rooms inside the building.
Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at (626) 574-5150.
obviously unacceptable vandalism
YFC what would you consider acceptable vandalism to be?
All Churches must activate cameras when the Church is closed.
Will the Obama Administration prosecute those who destroy Church property as “HATE CRIMES”? – – not.
Alex – of course not. Hate Crimes by definition are against people, not property.
Not true. Read your laws.
People have been successfully prosecuted for Hate Crimes in the USA for destruction in Jewish Temples.
“A hate crime is a category used to describe bias-motivated violence: assault, injury, and murder on the basis of certain personal characteristics: different appearance, different color, different nationality, different language, different religion.
“Hate crime generally refers to criminal acts that are seen to have been motivated by bias against one or more of the types above, or of their derivatives.
Incidents may involve physical assault, damage to property, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse or insults, or offensive graffiti or letters (hate mail).”
That is not correct.
My comment was meant for peter, not Alex. I should have directed them specifically to peter, and I apologize for any confusion that oversight caused.
Evil has overtaken this vandal or vandals, and their rage against religion tells us that they realize Satan exists, and Satan has overtaken his being. When we learn of this kind of robbery and rage, we need be in awe of the goodness of Our Lord and thank God for sending us His Son. He taught us to follow Him, and this wretched soul is screaming for help in escaping the pitiful condition of his heart, mind and soul. We see here more evidence of our great need for God, and what happens to us when we turn away from Him in sin. Thank God for God and for redemption.
Hmm…considering what the crusaders did to Christian churches in Constantinople, this seems pretty mild…
Mackz, if you are defending destruction of property — you must go to confession, not only for destruction of property but also for SCANDAL.
Two wrongs do not make a right.
Read the CCC.
What? There is no sin in what Mackz wrote. He was not defending destruction of property. It can only be scandal if the action is sinful. It would have to lead someone into wrongdoing.
US version of Krystalnacht.
What are you suggesting here? That a Methodist and a Catholic church in Arcadia, CA, of all places, vandalized themselves to arouse public sympathy? Pretty far-fetched theory if you ask me.
Very disturbed individuals…
Appears to be the same suspects in both cases. The churches are a little over a 1/4 mile apart. Holy Angles at Campus Dr. & Holly Ave. The Methodist Church at Duarte Rd. & Holly Ave.
DetJohn, how wonderful that you read and comment on California Catholic Daily. It is always comforting to know that good men and women are serving our communities in your demanding profession, but knowing that you would be interested in communicating through CCD is somehow deeply moving. Thank you for this information, and may anyone among us who knows anything at all about these crimes come forward and assist the detectives in ferreting out the culpable.