GREENSBORO, N.C. — A local church has been forced to repaint, and make repairs to their property after their church was vandalized on Sunday.
Persimmon Grove AME Church on Dolley Madison Road in Greensboro was found vandalized by someone Sunday morning.
Church Trustee Lonnie Cathey says he was attempting to unlock the church for an 8 a.m. service in the basement when he discovered the spray paint on the back door shortly before the service.
"We have a French-speaking congregation that we let use our basement and normally I get here you know 8 o’clock to unlock the door and when I got here that’s, that’s when I found all these obscene paintings on the door," said Cathey.
Cathey said he called Greensboro Police after finding the graffiti, and the department sent an officer to examine the scene.
Greensboro Police say the back door of the church had been completely vandalized with spray paint. Obscene language and symbols were painted on the door. Racist symbols were also drawn.
Greensboro church gets vandalized
"I feel like the church was targeted. Yes, I do feel that way. Even though there are no other churches on the street, but you know I do feel like this church was targeted simply because, by the name African Methodist Episcopal church," said Cathey.
The vandals didn’t damage anything inside the church, only the back door, and the church van. Cathey said the church van was vandalized sometime after he reported the graffiti on the church's back door.
Cathey and other church members sprayed primer over the graffiti on the back door and washed the brick, Sunday.
He confirmed the van’s back up camera had been covered in spray paint as well.
The church dates to the late 1800s and has been in its current building since the ’50s.
"I’ve been at this church all my life, we moved here in 1958. As far as I can remember, nothing like this has ever happened at this church, in this neighborhood," said Cathey.
Police say there are no suspects in custody at this time.
If you have any information call Greensboro Crime Stoppers at (336) 373-1000.
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