Oct 12, 2008 10:25 pm US/Central
Ministers Upset By Racist Message On Church Door
OVILLA (CBS 11 News) ―
Ministers are calling it a hate crime. Racist graffiti, spray-painted on a church.
The vandalism covers the doors of the Castle Church in Ovilla.
At one point, the ministers had the graffiti covered up, but now it is out in the open. And, they say maybe it's better this way, to show this kind of crime still happens.
On the front door, in bold lettering, the words are hard to miss.
Ernest Walker and his wife say they don't know who could have done this.
The building was once a house, it's in a residential neighborhood. The Walkers say they've had opposition from neighbors.
They also say they have had zoning issues with the city. At first, the city approved it as a church. But, the city says the Walkers are violating the ordinance because they are conducting business and the property is not zoned for that.
"Churches hold weddings, rent their halls for concerts. We're no different than any other church; we have to raise money to stay afloat" explains Ernest Walker.
Despite the issues, the Walkers say they wish their opponents would have confronted them face to face, instead of writing on the wall.
"I feel sad for the person that did that. They really need help. They're cowards."
The Walkers called Ovilla Police and filed a report.
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