Reno meets with ministers worried about church fires
June 9, 1996
Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EDTWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Ministers and civil rights advocates met Sunday afternoon with Attorney General Janet Reno to discuss the string of suspicious fires at Southern churches with mostly black congregations.
The fires have damaged or destroyed at least 30 churches over the last 18 months. There have been five arson arrests in connection with seven of the fires, which African Americans claim are racially motivated. No one has died.
"It's sad because I had hoped this country had come far beyond that. It conjures up some sad moments. We remember in the early 1960s when we lost four little girls in Birmingham, Alabama, when a church was firebombed," said the Rev. Joseph Lowery from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
More than 200 FBI and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents are investigating the cases.
Despite a fire that destroyed a historic sanctuary Thursday, the Rev. Larry Hill preached Sunday as usual at Matthews Murkland Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. "I'll need some orders from my Boss," he said before the service.
Investigators said the fire in the sanctuary, built in 1903, was deliberately set. The historic building had been used for storage but was due to be renovated and turned into a wedding chapel, Hill said. The congregation had been meeting in a newer chapel.
Meanwhile, President Clinton said Saturday he believed the attacks were racially motivated. He said the government would step up its fight to end the fires, and he announced a toll-free hotline people can call with tips: 1-888-ATF-FIRE.
"We must rise up as a national community and safeguard the right of every citizen to worship in safety," Clinton said.
Related stories:
- Clinton sounds call to stop church burnings June 8, 1996
- List of black church fire investigations - June 8, 1996
- 'This was a set fire' - June 7, 1996
- Investigators sift through ashes of latest black church fire - June 4, 1996
Related sites:
- Southern Christian Leadership
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Fire and EMS Information Network
- Department of the Treasury: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
Related newsgroup:
- bit.listserv.blues-L (Thread discusses church fires)
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