“They burned down a building,” the Rev. Harry 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, 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 FBI, which are assisting the Louisiana state fire marshal in the investigation. Police officers on Sunday stood 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.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.