Five predominantly African American churches in Crowley have been vandalized since July, with the most recent incident being discovered this morning.

Crowley Police Chief Jimmy Broussard says thankfully so far damage to the churches has been limited, but it’s still unnerving for congregants.

“All the same M.O., a brick or a piece of concrete or something like that,” says Broussard who adds, “Just through the doors, they’re not going in, they are not stealing anything, or ransacking them, they’re just hitting the glass doors.”

The first incident occurred in early July, with the rest occurring within the last month.

Broussard says they aren’t sure what exactly is motivating these crimes, but considering the targets have been majority black institutions, and houses of worship, they have a preliminary idea of what might be happening.

“At this point we are actually looking at a hate crime because it’s houses of worship, and it’s in a certain part of town,” says Broussard.

The son of a St. Landry Parish deputy was arrested on federal hate crime charges earlier this year after allegedly setting fire to a series of��historically black churches.

The Chief says if this is a case of juvenile delinquency, now would be a good time to turn yourself in because they’re getting close to having the feds get involved…

“When we do, there is no I’m going home to mommy,” says Broussard. “You’re not going to see mommy or daddy, you are going to a detention facility, probably out of state.”

Anyone with information about these incidents is urged to call the Crowley Police Department.

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