ST. LOUIS — Someone has been setting fire to predominantly black churches in the St. Louis area, and investigators are trying to determine if the arsonist is targeting either religion or race.
Investigators have no suspects or motives. But the possibility of a hate crime — for religious or racial reasons — “is part of the dynamic” of the investigation, St. Louis Fire Capt. Garon Mosby said.
The blazes have happened in an area still reeling from the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown last year by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson and a grand jury’s subsequent decision not to charge Wilson. Brown, who was black, was unarmed when he was shot by Wilson, who is white.
But church leaders said Monday that they are focused on healing, not speculating about blame.
“This is a spiritually sick person,” said the Rev. David Triggs, whose New Life Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis was set on fire on Saturday. “This is a sin issue. It’s not a race issue.”
The fires began Oct. 8 and have all happened within a few miles of each other in north St. Louis city and county. Six churches have been damaged; five of the churches are predominantly black and one is racially mixed. In each case, the front doors were set on fire. Damage has ranged from virtually nothing at one church to the near destruction of another.
John Ham, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the agency is investigating, along with St. Louis city and county arson squads. The ATF has jurisdiction over fires at all houses of worship, Ham said.
‘Apathetic’ response
The Rev. Rodrick Burton of New Northside Missionary Baptist Church sensed an “apathetic” response to the fires locally, though a few neighboring churches have offered to lend a hand. He said no one knows if the fires were racially motivated, but that it’s clear they’re an attack on religious freedom.
“Whether you practice faith or you don’t, everyone should be very concerned about that,” Burton said. “Religious freedom is part of our identity as Americans.”
