Damage done to All Saints Episcopal Church in Ravenswood certainly was intentional. The assailant broke a stained glass window, fed a garden hose through the opening and flooded part of the building, according to a Tribune article. The crime was committed against a house of worship, but was it a hate crime?
It's anything but a simple question.
All Saints serves as the base of Ravenswood Community Services, a non-profit organization tied to the church that provides groceries and hot dinners to more than 350 needy people each week. It also happens to be smack in the middle of a very affluent neighborhood and some of its residents had complained about the regular visits by some of Chicago's poorest residents, according to a New York Times article.
In the Times article, columnist James Warren suggests that the community support All Saints to help keep fellow citizens "from drowning." See the connection to the flooding?
But even if the vandalism was a statement by one of the church's more affluent neighbors, perhaps in protest of the presence of non-affluent people in their tony community, could it be prosecuted as a hate crime? Perhaps prosecutors could make that claim by arguing that the deed was done as an affront to the church's religious views on charity, but you'd have to ask an attorney.
Hate crimes are notoriously difficult to prove, though, according to information on the Anti-Defamation League's web site. Prosecutors must prove intent and in this case they lack specific evidence that the perpetrator had hateful feelings against the church. The connection between the flooding and comments made by the Times columnist? Probably just coincidental if no other evidence surfaces.
Church rector Bonnie Perry says they have "incredible support" from their neighborhood and surrounding communities, according to the Tribune article, and police so far have not made any arrests or suggestions that the crime was motivated by hate.
- Directory of Chicago criminal attorneys (FindLaw)
- Proving a Hate Crime Without the Slur (San Francisco Attorney General's Office)
- Ravenswood Community Services
