Friday, July 05, 2019

Hate Hits Connecticut

A Tennessee man broke in to a Connecticut affirming LGBTQ+ church with an box cutter.
Milford cops: Tennessee man broke into church for ‘pushing the LGBT agenda’
CT Post
By Jill Dion
July 2, 2019

MILFORD - Police said a Tennessee man broke into a Milford church and damaged an office door because he believed the church and its pastor “were supporting and pushing the LGBT agenda.”

Charles Yarbrough, 30, of Nashville, was charged with a hate crime, burglary and criminal mischief.
[…]
Since February, a colorful sign in front of the church has announced, “To be clear if you are queer LGBTQIA+ you are affirmed here!”
[…]
The church was vandalized twice in the past week, though police have not said if Yarbrough is a suspect in the first incident. During the first attack on the church on Thursday, June 27, the perpetrator targeted what Hansen [Rev. Kristina Hansen] described as church symbols, gouging a huge hole in an antique wooden kneeling rail inside the church, as well as slicing chairs on the church altar.
Hate crimes are very hard to prove, you have to show that the intent and motive was directed at a protective class. The perpetrator has to be stupid enough to come out and say that it was because of bigotry.
While being interviewed, Yarbrough stated he entered the building and damaged the office door because he felt the pastor, and the church as a whole, were supporting and pushing the LGBT agenda,” police said.
Just like he did.

What is the difference between a regular crime and a hate crime?

Somebody hit a person over the head saying “You F***ing Bastard!”
Verse,
Somebody hit a person over the head saying “You F***ing Gay Bastard!”

In the first sentence the perpetrator attacked just the person and in the second sentence the person attacked the the person and the fact that the person was LGBTQ+, in other words he was attacking a whole community to create fear in the community.

So the attack on the church might even be considered a double hate crime, an attack against the LGBTQ+ community and an attack against an affirming religion.

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