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SHERMAN OAKS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A church in Sherman Oaks has been vandalized several times in the past two months, and authorities are investigating the case as a hate crime.
St. Francis de Sales Church, on Valleyheart Drive, has been vandalized four times in a series of vandalism that began on August 7. The incidents mainly affected a statue located in front of the church.
At one point, the concrete base and a window caught fire. The word “chomo”, which Father Michael Wakefield says means pedophile in prison slang, was painted on the statue.
‘And on Saturday morning I discovered that it had been vandalized again with black paint,’ Wakefield said.
Heartbroken and frustrated, Father Wakefield said the tagging of the statue seemed like an attack on all parishioners.
“They are beautiful, but for us they have a deeper meaning. They point to the saint they represent and that is why we consider them an act of desecration, and furthermore, with an attack on the patron saint of the parish, it is a kind of attack on all the parishioners of the parish”.
It didn’t take long for parishioners to notice the vandalism and leave confused as to why anyone would commit such an act.
“It’s very disappointing. Why would they do this to a statue?” Billy Gillespie said.
Father Wakefield said these types of incidents can be very disheartening, but the church has to pull together and move forward.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.
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