An investigation is underway after a historic Black church in Delaware was vandalized with racial slurs and threatening messages over Easter weekend, according to WPIV-TV. New Castle County Police confirmed they’re searching for the person who left hateful scrawls on St. Daniels Community Church of Iron Hill.
Donna Johnson, a pastor’s aide at the church, said she discovered the slurs Saturday (March 30) after noticing the heat wasn’t turning on. She also found large propane tanks near the racist messages and words like “DIE” and “KKK” carved into the church building.
“When he put die, he wanted us to die, that’s propane tanks out there,” Johnson told reporters.
Pastor Joseph E. Field III said he was forced to cancel Easter services on Sunday, fearing the suspect may have tampered with the propane tanks.
“I was angry,” Field stated. “We couldn’t have services here. I canceled service because I wasn’t sure how bad everything was.”
Reporters said the church dates back to the mid-1800s and is the oldest known surviving free Black church in northern Delaware. St. Daniel’s was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in September 2021, according to the state’s Divison of Historical and Cultural Affairs.
Dr. Freeman Williams, president of the Newark NAACP, confirmed they’re helping the congregation get more surveillance cameras. They also swore to help find and prosecute the person responsible for these hateful acts.
Field has a message for the vandal in the wake of the horrendous situation: “We’re not going anywhere. We’re not afraid of you. We’re here to stay, you’re going to have to live with that.”
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