Training – 20200913

Bethel Baptist Church

Security Training 09/13/2020

Storm for Violence

When crime increases, so do victim counts. When we are talking deadly force incidents, every one of those numbers is a life. Every life affects an entire family and circle of friends.

We are seeing an increase of violent deadly force crime in the whole United States of America. The specific demographic I will refer to here is faith-based organizations.

I have been watching the most violent crimes associated with faith-based properties for over 20 years, cataloguing them into useful statistics to help organizations develop intentional readiness. Many trends have been identified, but here is a recent one.

If March 15^th was the start of the nationwide shutdown, consider the 30 days following that shutdown. Starting March 15^th, and ending April 15^th, there were 11 deadly force incidents associated with faith-based properties in the U.S. Of those 11 incidents, there was only one victim who died. Others were seriously hurt, but only one died.

In the last 30 days (between 6/24 and 7/24) there were 20 deadly force incidents associated with faith-based organizations. Besides the quantity increase is the ferocity of the attacks. Those 20 attacks left 10 deceased victims (monitor  https://fbsnamerica.com/deadly-force-history/  for the 10 most recent incidents at any time).

Last 10 as of 8/30/2020

8-3-20 Provo UT – LDS Missionary Training Center. Several shots were fired into the MTC Security booth around 2:30 that morning.

8-2-20 Weymouth MA — Sacred Heart Church. It appears a Molotov cocktail was used to start a fire at the church.

8-2-20- Lamar MO — First Christian Church of Lamar. A man wanted for murder and a string of violence on Saturday, showed up at the church on Sunday as services were starting. Police were called and he stabbed one of them at the church as they arrested him.

7-24-20 New York City NY — Miller Evangelical Christian Union Church. Two men got into an argument in front of the church and one shot and killed the other.

7-18-20 High Point NC — Chua An Lac temple. Tam Dinh Tran, a monk who served at the Buddhist temple, was shot and killed by gunfire from outside the building.

7-18-20 Chantilly VA — Grace Covenant Church. A regular of the church singles ministry was in the Saturday afternoon service and stabbed the presiding pastor and the Police Chief who was in attendance and took the attacker down.

7-18-20 Opelousas LA – Unnamed Church. A suspect is facing attempted murder charges after firing at a home from his vehicle and hitting a small boy in the home and the church next door.

7-16-20 Wilmington NC — Christ Community Church. A newborn baby with his umbilical cord still around his neck was found alive inside a black trash sack tied shut in the church trash cans by an alert woman walking her dog who heard the cries.

7-16-20 Tomball TX — Anointed Faith Family Church. An altercation between two men in the parking lot at 2:00 AM ended with one being shot and airlifted to a hospital.

7-15-20 Tallahassee FL — Bethel AME. 16-year-old Joshua Purcell was found deceased of gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the church about 9:00 PM.

To illustrate why I use the term “associated with” FBO’s is due to the number of senior pastors through the years who kill or are killed off the property. In the recent 30-day period a senior pastor got angry at neighbors (over morals) and killed them both.

What is different between the two time periods? The biggest thing is the increasing level of anger and unrest. Here are some reasons for that;

1. The far-reaching impact of continued COVID restrictions on a nation of free people (lack of work, financial desperation, abusers locked at home with their victims, fear and school is out)
2. Anger associated with race riots and political division
3. Law-enforcement forced out of law-enforcement

Add to these all the other unfixed problems (court leniency on repeat and violent offenders, drug and gang proliferation, juvenile delinquency and eroding moral values).

Think About it…

Violence at American faith-based organizations will increase in quantity and severity in coming months. It has already begun.

If you follow my writings, you know I try to encourage. But I also see disturbing trends and call attention when needed.

We are in the perfect storm for violence in churches.