Post by crudo on Feb 4, 2006 14:19:46 GMT -5
Hate crimes leave mark
Churches, synagogue in Modesto marred by graffiti, vandalism
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Our Lady of Fatima students pass a broken window Friday after the church was vandalized, one of three houses of worship to be hit.
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Photo Editor's note:
Because of potentially offensive content to some viewers, this photo was not published in The Modesto Bee. Please use discretion before clicking on the link to view the picture.
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BART AH YOU/THE BEE
A painter from Steve's Painting who is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation scrapes paint from a window at the church.
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Anti-Semitic graffiti is spray painted on the walls of Congregation Beth Shalom.
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Vandals hit Modesto's Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunication, less than a mile from two other vandalism incidents of Friday.
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
By INGA MILLER and AMY WHITE
BEE STAFF WRITERS
Last Updated: February 4, 2006, 06:13:41 AM PST
Scott Biewer rubbed a yellow sponge across a window at Congregation Beth Shalom on Friday, trying to wash away the hateful statement underneath.
He easily erased the spray painted Star of David scrawled with an "X" across it. He wiped a swastika off another window.
But he said he couldn't blot out the feeling of disgust.
"People are just trying to live their life the way they want, and somebody has to screw it up for everybody," said Biewer, a member of the congregation. "Unfortunately, people can't live and let live."
Members of three houses of worship in Modesto arrived at their sanctuaries Friday morning to find racist graffiti and vandalism.
In addition to Congregation Beth Shalom, vandals struck Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church next door and less than a mile away, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation.
Modesto police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime because the symbols and slurs targeted particular religions. That would make the attacks among less than a dozen hate crimes investigated by the Police Department annually, Chief Roy Wasden said.
"It's hard to know if it is just someone being foolish or if there is truly a hate crime bubbling in the balance out there because they are of a different faith or a different appearance," he said. "And I think that strikes a tone in all of us."
Police matched writing and spray paint used in the attacks, leading them to believe they are linked, officer Michael Amarillas said.
Police had no suspects as of Friday night, no motive and no time frame for the attacks, which occurred sometime after dark Thursday and before members discovered them in the morning.
Synagogue targeted before
Beth Shalom had been victimized by a string of anarchical and anti-Semitic vandalism starting last fall, said Biewer's wife, Laura, who is executive director of the synagogue. She discovered the crime when she left the building for coffee Friday morning.
The synagogue's tan brick walls were defaced with swastikas, the desecrated Star of David, racial epithets, a reference to Germany's secret police of the 1940s and a slur to go "back 2 the oven," presumably a reference to the Holocaust of World War II, during which 6 million Jews were murdered. By 1945, nearly two of every three European Jews had been killed.
Laura Biewer's relatives were among them. Her grandparents survived.
Her husband took the afternoon off to remove the graffiti with other congregation members. Had they not, the graffiti would have shown through the windows of their sanctuary during the evening service.
As they power-washed the walls, Sara Luengas, who lives in a house across the street, heard for the first time about the attacks. She lowered her gaze to the ground and shook her head.
"I didn't know it happened," Luengas, 22, finally said. "That this would happen in my neighborhood is terrible. People have the right to believe in what they want without being harassed."
At the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation on Tokay Avenue, someone appeared to have driven across the lawn. A black "666" was painted on a stone cross and a satanic symbol also splashed across the church's tile steps. The double doors leading into the church's office were painted with upside-down crosses, a pentagram, the term "WURM" and an epithet that stated "(expletive) your Christ." Similar curse words scrawled "(expletive) your God" across the office window.
Church member Michael Pappas, 45, said "it's disturbing that somebody would have that much evil in their heart to write the kind of things they wrote on a church. It's a very small glimpse of the evil that's in the world."
Police weren't sure to what the term "wurm" referred, "we are looking into that," Amarillas said.
"We don't know what significance it plays or whether it is a term that a particular group could be using to describe another group," he said.
FBI contacted by Modesto police
The Police Department contacted the FBI, confirmed Special Agent Karen Twomey Ernst. She said the FBI hasn't decided whether to open its own investigation.
But if a suspect is arrested, the FBI could aid in filing federal charges against the suspect, Wasden said.
Quick work left the Greek Orthodox church clean by the afternoon, but wounds remained.
"I am frightened a little bit," said Paula Anast, 70. The church secretary, Anast discovered the graffiti when she came to work Friday. "We live such such sheltered lives," she said. "We are not used to anything like this."
When students arrived at Our Lady of Fatima School, they saw that a 7-foot window had been smashed. Police took a rock the size of a cantaloupe as evidence.
The three houses of worship are talking about or planning to install security cameras. Police said they will step up patrols around all Modesto churches.
Our Lady of Fatima and Congregation Beth Shalom have started talking about forming a neighborhood watch.
That seemed like a good idea to Louis Levin, a member of Beth Shalom. "If it was just us, I would say the anti-Semitism was the big issue. But they've got the Catholics, the Greeks and the Jews, so it might just be anti-religion. I don't know what the motivation is."
Richard Beever, who rode his bicycle past the two churches, wondered, too.
"You have to wonder what motivates people that would do this," Beever, 55, said. "If they do it for kicks, they must have some kind of emotional problems."
Modesto psychologist James Henman agreed.
"Often, there's been forms of abuse in the environment and it gets stuffed down, it ferments and it comes out," Henman said. "All of the built-up rage and powerlessness end up being acted out in a hate crime … but it doesn't work, they are still disturbed."
Police ask anyone with information about the crimes to call Detective Ray Bennett at 572-9525.
Bee staff writer Inga Miller can be reached at 578-2382 or imiller@modbee.com.
Bee staff writer Amy White can be reached at 578-2318 or awhite@modbee.com.
Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada contributed to this report.
Churches, synagogue in Modesto marred by graffiti, vandalism
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Our Lady of Fatima students pass a broken window Friday after the church was vandalized, one of three houses of worship to be hit.
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Photo Editor's note:
Because of potentially offensive content to some viewers, this photo was not published in The Modesto Bee. Please use discretion before clicking on the link to view the picture.
View photo
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
A painter from Steve's Painting who is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation scrapes paint from a window at the church.
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Anti-Semitic graffiti is spray painted on the walls of Congregation Beth Shalom.
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
Vandals hit Modesto's Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunication, less than a mile from two other vandalism incidents of Friday.
BART AH YOU/THE BEE
By INGA MILLER and AMY WHITE
BEE STAFF WRITERS
Last Updated: February 4, 2006, 06:13:41 AM PST
Scott Biewer rubbed a yellow sponge across a window at Congregation Beth Shalom on Friday, trying to wash away the hateful statement underneath.
He easily erased the spray painted Star of David scrawled with an "X" across it. He wiped a swastika off another window.
But he said he couldn't blot out the feeling of disgust.
"People are just trying to live their life the way they want, and somebody has to screw it up for everybody," said Biewer, a member of the congregation. "Unfortunately, people can't live and let live."
Members of three houses of worship in Modesto arrived at their sanctuaries Friday morning to find racist graffiti and vandalism.
In addition to Congregation Beth Shalom, vandals struck Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church next door and less than a mile away, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation.
Modesto police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime because the symbols and slurs targeted particular religions. That would make the attacks among less than a dozen hate crimes investigated by the Police Department annually, Chief Roy Wasden said.
"It's hard to know if it is just someone being foolish or if there is truly a hate crime bubbling in the balance out there because they are of a different faith or a different appearance," he said. "And I think that strikes a tone in all of us."
Police matched writing and spray paint used in the attacks, leading them to believe they are linked, officer Michael Amarillas said.
Police had no suspects as of Friday night, no motive and no time frame for the attacks, which occurred sometime after dark Thursday and before members discovered them in the morning.
Synagogue targeted before
Beth Shalom had been victimized by a string of anarchical and anti-Semitic vandalism starting last fall, said Biewer's wife, Laura, who is executive director of the synagogue. She discovered the crime when she left the building for coffee Friday morning.
The synagogue's tan brick walls were defaced with swastikas, the desecrated Star of David, racial epithets, a reference to Germany's secret police of the 1940s and a slur to go "back 2 the oven," presumably a reference to the Holocaust of World War II, during which 6 million Jews were murdered. By 1945, nearly two of every three European Jews had been killed.
Laura Biewer's relatives were among them. Her grandparents survived.
Her husband took the afternoon off to remove the graffiti with other congregation members. Had they not, the graffiti would have shown through the windows of their sanctuary during the evening service.
As they power-washed the walls, Sara Luengas, who lives in a house across the street, heard for the first time about the attacks. She lowered her gaze to the ground and shook her head.
"I didn't know it happened," Luengas, 22, finally said. "That this would happen in my neighborhood is terrible. People have the right to believe in what they want without being harassed."
At the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation on Tokay Avenue, someone appeared to have driven across the lawn. A black "666" was painted on a stone cross and a satanic symbol also splashed across the church's tile steps. The double doors leading into the church's office were painted with upside-down crosses, a pentagram, the term "WURM" and an epithet that stated "(expletive) your Christ." Similar curse words scrawled "(expletive) your God" across the office window.
Church member Michael Pappas, 45, said "it's disturbing that somebody would have that much evil in their heart to write the kind of things they wrote on a church. It's a very small glimpse of the evil that's in the world."
Police weren't sure to what the term "wurm" referred, "we are looking into that," Amarillas said.
"We don't know what significance it plays or whether it is a term that a particular group could be using to describe another group," he said.
FBI contacted by Modesto police
The Police Department contacted the FBI, confirmed Special Agent Karen Twomey Ernst. She said the FBI hasn't decided whether to open its own investigation.
But if a suspect is arrested, the FBI could aid in filing federal charges against the suspect, Wasden said.
Quick work left the Greek Orthodox church clean by the afternoon, but wounds remained.
"I am frightened a little bit," said Paula Anast, 70. The church secretary, Anast discovered the graffiti when she came to work Friday. "We live such such sheltered lives," she said. "We are not used to anything like this."
When students arrived at Our Lady of Fatima School, they saw that a 7-foot window had been smashed. Police took a rock the size of a cantaloupe as evidence.
The three houses of worship are talking about or planning to install security cameras. Police said they will step up patrols around all Modesto churches.
Our Lady of Fatima and Congregation Beth Shalom have started talking about forming a neighborhood watch.
That seemed like a good idea to Louis Levin, a member of Beth Shalom. "If it was just us, I would say the anti-Semitism was the big issue. But they've got the Catholics, the Greeks and the Jews, so it might just be anti-religion. I don't know what the motivation is."
Richard Beever, who rode his bicycle past the two churches, wondered, too.
"You have to wonder what motivates people that would do this," Beever, 55, said. "If they do it for kicks, they must have some kind of emotional problems."
Modesto psychologist James Henman agreed.
"Often, there's been forms of abuse in the environment and it gets stuffed down, it ferments and it comes out," Henman said. "All of the built-up rage and powerlessness end up being acted out in a hate crime … but it doesn't work, they are still disturbed."
Police ask anyone with information about the crimes to call Detective Ray Bennett at 572-9525.
Bee staff writer Inga Miller can be reached at 578-2382 or imiller@modbee.com.
Bee staff writer Amy White can be reached at 578-2318 or awhite@modbee.com.
Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada contributed to this report.
