CONTACT: Joretta Purdue (Release # 257) May 22, 1996
WASHINGTON (UMNS) -- The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and a retired United Methodist clergyman, was among people here May 21 who criticized law enforcement efforts to halt the burning of churches throughout the South.
In testimony before the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, Lowery termed the response to the church burnings as "feeble."
His comments and that of other religious leaders followed testimony by officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). The two federal agencies have more than 200 agents working with local law enforcement agencies to investigate these crimes, they said.
Deval L. Patrick, assistant attorney general for civil rights, told the committee that evidence of a regional or national conspiracy is lacking, but that the number of hate crimes nationwide is growing.
"We are witnessing a serious and frightening assault on African-Americans in this country. We must hold accountable the racist groups that fan the flames of intolerance," Lowery said.
He commented, "African Americans are concerned that many law enforcement agencies include personnel who are also members of racist groups."
Although the number of churches attacked varied according to when the count began and what was included, written testimony from the National Council of Churches (NCC) president and its general secretary report that 57 black and interracial churches have been bombed, burned or vandalized since January 1990. Twenty-five of these acts occurred in 1996.
NCC officials had requested the opportunity to present oral testimony at the hearings. When denied, they submitted written testimony.
The NCC research found "striking similarities in these incidents," according to the letter signed by United Methodist Bishop Melvin G. Talbert, NCC president, and the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, NCC general secretary.
Their list includes use of molotov cocktails and other incendiary devices, spray painting racist graffiti, targeting churches with a history of strong advocacy for African-American rights, and racist notes and letters directed to the pastors.
Talbert and Campbell also said that five churches were attacked on or near Martin Luther King Day in January 1995 and again in 1996.
The NCC testimony contained harsh criticism of the investigations by law enforcement officials. It alleged that although 30 people had been charged so far, more have not been apprehended "because investigations, to date, have focused in large measure on the pastors and members of the burned churches rather than on the violent history of ... racist groups."
Talbert and Campbell also reported that racial motivation is widely denied by law enforcement officials as the initiating factor in the crimes.
"The NCC has been provided with testimony from some of the affected pastors that racial epithets scrawled onto the remaining facades of their churches were immediately painted over by law enforcement officials without the consent of the church," the document said.
Some pastors have been asked to take polygraph tests, church records demanded, members interrogated to the point of tears, the NCC reports. Arson for insurance money has been insinuated by officials, although most of the churches have been uninsured or underinsured, the NCC statement said.
"Without exception, the victims of these hate crimes said they felt intimidated by the very forces they had hoped would provide them with protection and would alleviate their anxieties," Talbert and Campbell said.
They also accuse law enforcement agencies of ignoring death threats received by the pastors and other church members, and of failure to follow up on leads provided by the pastors.
Both NCC officials and Lowery expressed apprehension that although no one has been hurt in these attacks, perpetrators emboldened by not being called to account may attempt a firebombing during services.
"These attacks stiffen our resistance to oppression and render firm our resolve in the pursuit of justice and equity," he declared.
Lowery called for a massive effort by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to bring the criminals to justice. He urged support for the ministers, congregations and communities that have experienced these "acts of terrorism" and urged Congress to engage in a positive campaign to achieve racial justice and end violence.
He also had some words for the churches in regard to monetary rewards for information leading to the culprits. "We believe," Lowery said, "the religious community could better serve the common good by engaging in joint efforts to eliminate the climate of hostility that encourages acts of hostility."
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New York, and Washington.
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