Hate crimes investigated in Bellevue incident

  • By Allison DeAngelis Bellevue Reporter
  • Thursday, May 19, 2016 9:03am
  • Local News

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.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Everett police searching for missing child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive. The child was missing under “suspicious circumstances.”

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Everett
11 months later, Lake Stevens man charged in fatal Casino Road shooting

Malik Fulson is accused of shooting Joseph Haderlie to death in the parking lot at the Crystal Springs Apartments last April.

T.J. Peters testifies during the murder trial of Alan Dean at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Bothell cold case trial now in jury’s hands

In court this week, the ex-boyfriend of Melissa Lee denied any role in her death. The defendant, Alan Dean, didn’t testify.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.