This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/us/arrest-fires-black-churches-louisiana.html
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| Son of a Deputy Sheriff Is Charged in 3 Black Church Fires | |
| (1 day later) | |
| OPELOUSAS, La. — The 21-year-old son of a deputy sheriff was charged in connection with the burning of three predominantly black churches in St. Landry Parish, La., the authorities announced on Thursday. | OPELOUSAS, La. — The 21-year-old son of a deputy sheriff was charged in connection with the burning of three predominantly black churches in St. Landry Parish, La., the authorities announced on Thursday. |
| The arrest of the deputy’s son, Holden Matthews, came about two weeks after the first fire, which evoked the racist imagery of the Jim Crow South and set on edge a Cajun community with a large black population and deep Christian roots. | The arrest of the deputy’s son, Holden Matthews, came about two weeks after the first fire, which evoked the racist imagery of the Jim Crow South and set on edge a Cajun community with a large black population and deep Christian roots. |
| The three blazes took place within a span of 10 days, destroying churches that had been around for more than a century and had been the spiritual homes of generations of black families. | The three blazes took place within a span of 10 days, destroying churches that had been around for more than a century and had been the spiritual homes of generations of black families. |
| At a news conference announcing the arrest and charges of three counts of simple arson of a church building, Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana said that although he did not know the motivation behind the fires, “these were evil acts.” | At a news conference announcing the arrest and charges of three counts of simple arson of a church building, Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana said that although he did not know the motivation behind the fires, “these were evil acts.” |
| [‘They didn’t burn down our spirit’: black churches in Louisiana were worried but defiant after the fires.] | [‘They didn’t burn down our spirit’: black churches in Louisiana were worried but defiant after the fires.] |
| The authorities said the blazes were intentionally set and related. And while an investigation continues into what provoked the attacks, the authorities suggested at the news conference a possible connection to black metal, a genre of music they said has a related history to church burnings. Mr. Matthews was a member of a black metal band called Vodka Vultures. | The authorities said the blazes were intentionally set and related. And while an investigation continues into what provoked the attacks, the authorities suggested at the news conference a possible connection to black metal, a genre of music they said has a related history to church burnings. Mr. Matthews was a member of a black metal band called Vodka Vultures. |
| Mr. Matthews’s father is a longtime deputy in the St. Landry Parish sheriff’s office. | Mr. Matthews’s father is a longtime deputy in the St. Landry Parish sheriff’s office. |
| “His dad has been a sheriff for a number of years, he’s a good fellow,” said Representative Clay Higgins, a Republican congressman representing the area and a former deputy with the St. Landry Parish sheriff. “My understanding is the son has had a troubled past.” | “His dad has been a sheriff for a number of years, he’s a good fellow,” said Representative Clay Higgins, a Republican congressman representing the area and a former deputy with the St. Landry Parish sheriff. “My understanding is the son has had a troubled past.” |
| At an address linked to Mr. Matthews, a woman declined to comment on Thursday. | At an address linked to Mr. Matthews, a woman declined to comment on Thursday. |
| “No statement, no comment!” she shouted just after a reporter passed the saddle-topped mailbox along a state highway. “Please leave! Goodbye!” | “No statement, no comment!” she shouted just after a reporter passed the saddle-topped mailbox along a state highway. “Please leave! Goodbye!” |
| A horse trailer was parked outside the home, set down a gravel driveway and behind a pond. Farmland filled the distance behind the house, which had few windows. | A horse trailer was parked outside the home, set down a gravel driveway and behind a pond. Farmland filled the distance behind the house, which had few windows. |
| Monica Harris is a member of the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas that was burned down. It had been her family’s church for generations, with her parents raising her and her 11 siblings there. She was baptized and married there, and her parents, who died last year, are buried in the cemetery on the church’s grounds. | Monica Harris is a member of the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas that was burned down. It had been her family’s church for generations, with her parents raising her and her 11 siblings there. She was baptized and married there, and her parents, who died last year, are buried in the cemetery on the church’s grounds. |
| “I was uneasy with the fact that somebody invaded their resting space,” Ms. Harris, 57, said on Thursday. “Now that they’ve caught someone, I feel more at ease that they’re able to rest now.” | “I was uneasy with the fact that somebody invaded their resting space,” Ms. Harris, 57, said on Thursday. “Now that they’ve caught someone, I feel more at ease that they’re able to rest now.” |
| The fires, which destroyed the three churches, occurred on March 26, April 2 and April 4 in St. Landry Parish, north of Lafayette. The first was at St. Mary Baptist in Port Barre; the two others were at Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist in Opelousas, the St. Landry Parish seat. | The fires, which destroyed the three churches, occurred on March 26, April 2 and April 4 in St. Landry Parish, north of Lafayette. The first was at St. Mary Baptist in Port Barre; the two others were at Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist in Opelousas, the St. Landry Parish seat. |
| A fourth fire, a small blaze that officials said was “intentionally set,” was reported on March 31 at a predominantly white church in Caddo Parish, about a three-hour drive north. It was unclear if that fire was connected to the others. | A fourth fire, a small blaze that officials said was “intentionally set,” was reported on March 31 at a predominantly white church in Caddo Parish, about a three-hour drive north. It was unclear if that fire was connected to the others. |
| The F.B.I. and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been involved in the investigation, as well as the Louisiana and Florida state fire marshals, the cybercrime unit of the Louisiana attorney general’s office, and state and local police. | The F.B.I. and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had been involved in the investigation, as well as the Louisiana and Florida state fire marshals, the cybercrime unit of the Louisiana attorney general’s office, and state and local police. |
| Since the 1950s, black churches across the South have been the targets of racist attacks, from arson and bombing to armed assault. | Since the 1950s, black churches across the South have been the targets of racist attacks, from arson and bombing to armed assault. |