Bellevue Police are investigating two hate crimes in which a man threw a sign at Black Lives Matter advocates that read “I hate n******” and “black lives aren’t worth s***” and a church’s Black Lives Matter sign was slashed.
Members of the East Shore Unitarian Church were holding signs on the corner of Factoria Boulevard and Southeast 36th Street on April 24 when an unidentified male drove by and threw a cardboard sign at them that was covered in derogatory statements about black persons and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Mere weeks later, the church’s Black Lives Matter sign was slashed in the night.
“In speaking with the church members, they were deeply shaken,” said Bellevue Police Captain Kleinknecht. “There is an impression of Bellevue being a safe city, of it embracing all walks of life.”
The suspect was caught on traffic cameras, although police say they are unable to decipher the license plate number from the image. He was driving between a 1997 and 2004 white Ford F150.
The April 24 and May 7 events may be related to a February incident in which the Black Lives Matter sign at the First Congregational Church in Bellevue was defaced, with an unknown assailant(s) crossing out the word “black” with spray paint and replacing it with the word “blue.” The sign was stolen a few days later.
“It could be the same suspect,” Kleinknecht said. “There is a common denominator, the sign, and there was obviously some forethought. What concerns me is that the sign was pre-made and the care arrived and left within seconds.”
The suspect(s) escalating to violence is an additional concerned, he said.
Members of the East Shore church said they will continue to stand in support of Black Lives Matter.
“We began to process and respond to this racist attack immediately following the event,” said interim Reverend Elaine Peresluha. “We are continuing to work with the Eastside Race and Leadership Coalition and the Bellevue Police Diversity initiative to promote opportunities for public conversations on race.”
The church’s peaceful gatherings were reportedly inspired by church member Manuel Brown, who traveled to both Selma, Ala. last year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March and the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly convention a few months later when the church’s governing body urged those across our country to support the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Neither he nor others have been swayed from the cause, they said in a statement.
“I stand on the corner every Sunday to bring awareness not just to the many black lives that have been lost and affected by continued police brutality, but also to remind people that systemic racism remains a problem in our country and each of us has a responsibility to help eradicate it.” said church member Seth Hamilton.
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