ACLU of Louisiana has issued a statement on the church fires in St. Landry Parish and one in Caddo.
The statement from Executive Director Alanah Odoms Hebert touches on the significance of these places of worship as historically black churches in St. Landry Parish and Caddo Parish.
Hebert says that these fires are “deeply disturbing,” and asks the community to stand in solidarity and speak out against hate.
“This string of suspicious church fires, including three in St. Landry Parish alone, is deeply disturbing and a reminder of the violence that people of color continue to face across the South. Black churches have long been targets of racial terrorism, and recent years have seen a steady rise in white supremacist violence. While the investigation into the cause of the fires continues, it’s on all of us to speak out against hate and intolerance and stand in solidarity with the communities affected by these tragedies.”
-ACLU Executive Director Alanah Odoms Hebert
The causes of the fires have not been determined but now The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are working to uncover any similarities between these three fires and other fires that have been reported in other parts of the country.
The ATF says that any possible links between these fires and others are still pending.
Read more here: ATF investigators looking for similarities in church burnings
