ONLY ON ABC-7: Two Las Cruces churches vandalized in one week
At least two Las Cruces churches were vandalized in one week, with one location reporting graffiti that appears racist, ABC-7 has learned.
Incident #1 (unsolved): Unitarian Universalist Church of Las Cruces
Members of the Unitarian Universalist Church on Solano say multiple instances of graffiti across their campus are obscene and racist.
“I think the best thing to do is pray and erase it,” said Charlie Scholz, the president of the board of directors for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Las Cruces.
The church will have a prayer vigil on Tuesday, October 30th at 6 p.m., the board president said. After that, members of the community will wash away the paint and remove the harmful messages.
“If you respond to hate with hate, then all you do is get more hate,” Scholz said. “It doesn’t work any other way. It’s hard something to do that, but we believe it’s the only way to handle things.”
This incident is still under investigation by the Las Cruces Police Department. Anyone with any information is asked to call the Las Cruces Police Department at 575-526-0795.
“It upsets us all,” Scholz said.
Incident #2 (solved): The Basilica of San Albino in Mesilla
The Basilica of San Albino also reported vandalism: Someone threw a rock through a window, broke a statue and urinated on the doorsteps of the church. However, the Diocese of Las Cruces told ABC-7 that the young men behind that incident turned themselves in and offered to pay for the damage.
“They recognized the mistake, they made it right and I think they’re going to be better for it,” said Deacon Jim Winder, a spokesman for the Diocese of Las Cruces, by phone.
On Tuesday morning, Winder said the young college students behind the incident confessed to Father Christopher Williams that they vandalized the church.
“It had been a bad week for one or two of them,” Winder said. “They blew off steam in a bad way.”
Because the young men owned up to their mistakes, Winder said the church will not press charges. He also said they volunteered to help with the church’s Thanksgiving dinner.
“They’re making it right,” Winder said. “I wish everybody in the world would do that.”
