At least two more churches have been vandalized with what appears to be pro-Donald Trump racist graffiti, according to the houses of worship.
One of the churches, St. David’s Episcopal, in Beanblossom, Ind., was targeted sometime Saturday, a Facebook post from the church says.
“Three tags were painted on the outside of the church,” the post says, including “Heil Trump” and a swastika.
“We are disappointed that our safe haven has been vandalized but will not let the actions of a few damper our love of Christ and the world,” the statement says. “We will continue to live out our beliefs and acceptance of all people and respecting the dignity of every human being. We pray for the perpetrators as well as those who the derogatory marks were directed at.”
Rev. Kelsey Hutto said “we must be doing something right,” according to the Indianapolis Star. “We stated one time that doing the right thing was not always the popular thing. We were targeted for a reason, and in our mind it was for a good reason.”
And in a statement, Indianapolis Bishop Cate Waynick said the tone of the election has “emboldened” some.
“We do not know who is responsible for the vandalism,” Waynick said in the statement. “What we do know is that the kind of language used during the recent Presidential campaign has emboldened some people to become openly abusive and insulting. Our option as faithful people is to be sure we don’t respond in kind.”
Separately, in an Episcopal church in Silver Spring, Md., a sign advertising the Spanish-language mass was vandalized with “Trump Nation, Whites Only,” according to the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC.
“I am heartsick, and can only imagine how the people of Our Saviour, one of the most culturally diverse parishes in the diocese, feel,” Bishop Marian Budde said in the Facebook post.
More than 200 incidents of reported harassment and intimidation have been reported since Election Day, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
