Vandals target Las Cruces church after putting up ‘black lives matter’ signs

Leaders of one Las Cruces church say they’re being targeted by vandals for supporting the ‘black lives matter’ movement.

The national movement has sparked controversy for aiming to put a stop to police brutality against African Americans.

The vandals broke windows and stole signs supporting the movement at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

“They took some kind of an object and smashed eight of our windows,” Rev. Suzanne Redfern-Campbell said.

Two months later, Redfern-Campbell says there was another attack.

“Someone came with a big cinder block and heaved it through my office window,” she said.

While a gaping hole still remains, so does the cinder block. Redfern-Campbell turned it into an alter with candles.

“The easter message is that God takes something ugly and oppressive and turns it into something beautiful and spectacular,” she said. “I wouldn’t say this is spectacular, but I tried to make something meaningful.”

Church members tell ABC-7 they aren’t afraid of the vandals, but they do remain vigilant.

“We have to standup for people we have to do what is right,” Jan Thompson said.

They say the black lives matter movement goes beyond a political statement and that’s what their faith calls upon them to do

“We’re trying to show our support for people in other communities where this is an immediate problem for them,” Thompson said.

“If someone is trying to change our mind by throwing cinder blocks through our window that’s not going to happen,” Campbell-Redfern said.

No one was hurt in any of the incidents. The church is looking into installing security cameras.

Las Cruces police asks if you have any information on a possible suspect to call them.