Feces, bullet holes, broken windows: Vandalism against Tacoma church spirals out of control
Jan 7, 2025, 6:46 AM | Updated: 6:51 am
Sign for Living World Ministries in Tacoma with a photo superimposed over it showing graffiti and vandalism on the property. (Photos courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photos courtesy of KIRO 7)
A Tacoma church is recovering and increasing its security efforts after it has been the target of repeated vandalism.
Fending off vandals and cleaning up after them has been a part of maintaining Living Word Ministry, which lives on Park Avenue South and South 70th Street in Tacoma, for decades, but the situation has gotten significantly worse over the last few months, the pastor told KIRO 7.
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From broken windows to bullet holes on exterior walls and glass to human waste throughout the property, the church has seen it all.
“The past few months, they’ve used it as a restroom,” Charles Williams, a pastor with Living Word Ministry, told KIRO 7. “Yesterday, somebody used it three times over here on the side where they broke the window. It’s still there.”
Williams revealed he and others found evidence on the property of someone lighting a fire and camping out at the entrance of the church, and another instance where vandals broke into each car parked on the property.
“It’s hazardous because a lot of the things they do is hazardous, from needles and all of that stuff,” Williams continued. “It’s just constant cleaning up different things that’s inappropriate for kids. One guy was washing cars for money, and said the owner let him do it. ‘You’re looking at the owner,’ but he had three cars over here washing cars.”
The Tacoma Police Department (TPD) has been alerted and is actively working to get more information.
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The church is known throughout the community as a charitable organization, donating food, clothing, school supplies, gift cards and other necessities to those in need.
A GoFundMe has been created to help the church. The GoFundMe is built around raising money for a fence to prevent intruders and vandals from entering the property.
“Each week we find something on our property: abandoned cars, graffiti, human feces, old furniture, shopping carts, clothing, appliances, etc.,” the GoFundMe read. “And each time, we spend our time, money and energy to put our church back together again. Our solution to this obstacle is to build a fence around the property as soon as possible.”
Contributing: KIRO 7
Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest and producer of the Seattle Seahawks podcast, The Reset with Gee Scott. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.
