The Mt Zion AME in Greelyville South Carolina was ablaze on Tuesday evening. Photos were posted by local firefighters and journalists on social media.
The prominent African American church was burned down by the KKK in 1995. The cause of this latest fire is unknown.
There have been a string of fires at African American churches throughout the south since 9 people were gunned down at Emanuel A.ME. Church in Charleston, allegedly by a 21-year-old tied to white supremicists. At least three of the incidents have been determined to be the result of arson.
This gives more background on the church. I kind of can't believe that it is coincidence that it was highlighted in an article last week and is on fire this week. Or that it's coincidence that six other predominately black churches have been set on fire since that asshole piece of racist shit walked into the Charleston church with a gun.
Fire at Mount Zion AME Church in GreeleyVille GREELEYVILLE, SC (WCIV) -- A black church is on fire tonight 20 years after it was burned to the ground by two former members of the KKK.
Firefighters in Williamsburg County are battling a fire at Mount Zion AME Church on Mackey Road in Greeleyville, sources say.
Media partner sconfire.com reports the fire burned through the roof. Clarendon, Manning and Kingstree fire departments are all at the scene.
The fire comes about a week after Mount Zion AME was featured in a Los Angeles Times story about the long history of violence against black churches and 20 years after it was burned to the ground by two former members of the KKK.
It is about the seventh Southern church to catch fire in recent weeks.
A federal law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said a Friday fire at a church in South Carolina does not appear to have been intentionally set. The official had direct knowledge of the investigations but spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the official was not authorized to discuss them publicly.
The official said another fire Wednesday at a Charlotte, North Carolina, church appeared to be set by vandals, and investigators have found no graffiti or other evidence that it was racially motivated.
In Georgia, FBI Special Agent in Charge Britt Johnson said Monday that authorities are also looking into whether a June 23 fire could be a hate crime, which is common practice for fires at houses of worship.
"Opening a preliminary inquiry doesn't suggest that a hate crime has occurred, but rather ensures that it is getting additional scrutiny for hate crime potential," Johnson said in a statement.
Another fire was reported at the College Hill Seventh Day Adventist church in Knoxville,Tennessee, a predominantly black congregation. Knoxville Police spokesman Darrell DeBusk had said previously that the fire was not being investigated as a hate crime. Authorities have said bales of hay outside the church were set on fire, and a church van was damaged in the blaze.
Federal investigators are tracking the Knoxville blaze and several others in an arson database to determine whether there are any trends or similarities, but none of the fires appear to be related, said Michael Knight, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Tennessee.
In Elyria, Ohio, arson has been ruled out in the burning of the College Heights Baptist Church, fire Chief Richard Benton told The Chronicle Telegram newspaper.
Church fires are relatively common in the U.S. According to the most recent data available from the National Fire Protection Assn., officials responded to 1,660 fires at religious and funeral properties in 2011, down from 3,500 in 1980.
About 16% of those church and funeral-property fires were intentionally set, which equals about five arsons a week, according to the association.
Church fires are relatively common in the U.S. According to the most recent data available from the National Fire Protection Assn., officials responded to 1,660 fires at religious and funeral properties in 2011, down from 3,500 in 1980.
About 16% of those church and funeral-property fires were intentionally set, which equals about five arsons a week, according to the association.
So far, I'm seeing no injuries reported, thankfully.
I AM seeing that they are trying to blame it on a thunderstorm that went through the area. A lightening strike could have magically just happened to hit this particular church, right?
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I wanted to see if Geraldo or someone had mentioned this since CVS was a travesty. They hadn't but I scrolled to the comments. Fuck all of these people. The shit people say.
I wanted to see if Geraldo or someone had mentioned this since CVS was a travesty. They hadn't but I scrolled to the comments. Fuck all of these people. The shit people say.
I wanted to see if Geraldo or someone had mentioned this since CVS was a travesty. They hadn't but I scrolled to the comments. Fuck all of these people. The shit people say.
Those comments are fucking disgusting. How can this country be taking so many steps backwards? Or was any progress all an illusion? Is this seriously the world I brought a child into? Now I am back to being sad.
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It was an illusion. Now it's just crystal clear that for a lot of people, nothing has changed; we are still sub-human. The racists have been fidgety since Obama was elected the first time, but it's always been there. That flag business will push them right over the edge of the cliff they've been teetering on.
It never ceases to amaze me how upsetting it is to people that Black people want to just live. Like can we not get shot up in a church and then get blamed when we're mad about that? I mean, can we live?
This is terrible. Are people that are racist aware of being racist? Not the ones who make racist jokes once a year and don't think about it - they are ignorant to their racism but the leader of the KKK, would he admit to being racist? And be proud of it? I don't get that at all. To me, it would be like saying 'I'm a rapist' and being proud of it. Sociopathic behaviour. I don't know where I'm going with this.