Police investigating racist, threatening graffiti at a church in McKinney
McKINNEY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - McKinney police are investigating racist and threatening graffiti discovered at an entrance to Stonebridge United Methodist Church's preschool over the weekend. A dumpster and plants were also set on fire.
The church's lead pastor addressed what happened and how the church is responding.
"It makes me feel all kinds of things," Jeff Lust said. "I feel distressed, I feel angry, I feel frustrated."
He says early Sunday morning, before service began, a staff member discovered racist slurs, swastikas and the messages "Welcome skin king" and "Not my best work yet" smeared across an entrance to the church's preschool, which was starting school the next day.
"I don't know if that means they're coming back," he said. "I don't know if it means they're doing something like this somewhere else. We really don't know."
He said the community is disturbed and on edge. Stonebridge United Methodist Church has now been targeted by acts of hate twice. A similar incident occurred July 17th on an exterior wall. Police are investigating.
"I actually led a biblical racial reconciliation ministry in town and so when these things happen sometimes people will shoot it over to me," Threaded Founder and CEO Markus Lloyd said.
Lloyd lives nearby and said his son attended the preschool.
"There's a part of you that's like it's really not that surprising because this kind of thing is something that I've seen my whole life, but I think seeing it so close to home, having kids and family here, you start to create a bit of anxiety."
On Wednesday, he met with 26 local pastors to discuss where to go from here.
"We're hoping that we can find something to do together in this city that's led by the church but it's for the community so we can bring this community together," he said.
There are no exterior security cameras where these incidents occurred, but the church is now going to be adding those as well as more lights.
"I do think this is going to be a springboard for us to work with the community to be better about addressing racial issues here in McKinney," Lust said. "We don't teach hate. We would hope that the person who did this would really examine their actions and their motives and have a change of heart."