OPELOUSAS, La. — As law enforcement authorities continued to investigate a series of suspicious blazes that destroyed three predominantly black churches in St. Landry Parish, La., black residents gathered for services with a mix of befuddlement, concern and defiance.

“They burned down a building,” the Rev. Harry J. Richard, whose Greater Union Baptist Church was among those destroyed, preached at a makeshift gathering on Sunday in Opelousas. “They didn’t burn down our spirit.”

It was still not known Monday whether the fires — which occurred March 26 and last Tuesday and Thursday — were intentionally set or whether they were motivated by racism. Still, they have drawn the attention of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the F.B.I., which are assisting the Louisiana state fire marshal in the investigation. Police officers stood Sunday outside at least two services of predominantly black congregations.

Two of the fires took place in Opelousas — at Greater Union and at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church — and the third was at St. Mary Baptist Church in nearby Port Barre. Officials reported a fourth, smaller fire that was “intentionally set” at another predominantly black church in Caddo Parish, about three hours north.

The blazes have evoked uneasy recollections of racist attacks on black churches across the country.

“It was heartbreaking to see what happened,” said Monica Harris, a member of Greater Union. “Naturally, everyone is nervous and concerned.”

But parishioners and residents said they would also let the investigation unfold before making any judgments about what the fires might say about their community, which is just north of Lafayette.

John Eligon is a Kansas City-based national correspondent covering race. He previously worked as a reporter in Sports and Metro, and his work has taken him to Nelson Mandela’s funeral in South Africa and the Winter Olympics in Turin. @jeligon

Source: Read Full Article