In the wake of Donald Trump’s election, there was a wave of hate crimes. Or at least, that was how it was reported. But once these crimes were investigated, more and more were exposed as hoaxes.
That’s the case, once again, with some graffiti that was found on the outside of an Episcopal church in Indiana shortly after the election. Back in November, The Washington Post was hot on the case of St. David’s Episcopal Church, lumping the crime in with several others which turned out to be fake hate crimes.
In this church’s case, a swastika, a gay slur, and “heil Trump” were all spray-painted in black on the outside of the church. Rev. Kelsey Hutto said he took “comfort” in the fact that the church was targeted because they are so “inclusive.” The reverend also decided the graffiti would stay up until the end of November to be “symbols of hope” and an indicator that St. David’s “is a safe space.”
Mmmmkay.
The reverend was alerted to the graffiti by the church’s organist. And now, six months later, that organist has confessed to the crime. George Nathaniel Stang said he was upset at the election results, especially in a small town that voted overwhelmingly for Trump. Stang issued an apology:
“I'm very sad to have created more hate in a world that already has too much hate. The congregation doesn't deserve it, the emotional turmoil I put them through.”
In a written statement to police, Stang said, “To be clear, my actions were not motivated by hate for the church or its congregation. I suppose I wanted to give local people a reason to fight for good even if it was a false flag. I of course realize now that this was NOT the way to go about inspiring activism.”
Rev. Hutto responded, “Nathan is a member of our St. David's family, and naturally there is a certain amount of betrayal with this act. Over the coming weeks and days, we will process our emotions regarding this hurtful act.”
The bishop of the Indianapolis Episcopal Diocese, Jennifer Baskerville-Burrow, released a statement:
We are living now in a political climate that is so divisive and highly charged that people from all across the political spectrum are making thoughtless and hurtful choices that they believe are justified by the righteousness of their causes.
As people who follow Jesus, we must find a different way.
