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Police: Vandal defaces Delaware County church with pro-choice graffiti
Police say they are searching for a man who spray-painted a church in Delaware County with pro-choice graffiti.
RIDLEY TWP., Pa. - Police say they are searching for a man who spray-painted a church in Delaware County with pro-choice graffiti.
The security camera recorded the brazen act of vandalism around 3 a.m. Sunday morning.
The male—wearing dark clothing—bends as he scrawls his message in spray-paint and then hustles to a north wall where he strikes again.
Rosann Vansickle’s family helped raise the money to build Notre Dame de Lourdes.
Police say they are searching for a man who spray-painted Notre Dame de Lourdes, in Delaware County, with pro-choice graffiti. (Facebook)
"My husband got up yesterday morning and saw the graffiti by the time I got up it was gone because they had mass yesterday. It was a terrible, terrible thing to do," she told FOX 29.
By daylight the message in black paint was clear, it read along the doors: “You do not have the right to decide what people can do." It also said, “#ProChoice” on the side wall.
"We were notified Sunday morning when Father Devlin arrived at the church and contacted the police department. Our patrol officers responded and found the spray-painting," Ridley Township Police Detective Bill Handerson said.
Police hope the images help them track the vandal, while a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia writes:
“This is not tolerated, and any house of worship of any denomination should be treated with due respect.”
The incident comes days after Alabama and Missouri passed new, restrictive abortion laws. On Tuesday, pro-choice groups are planning protests across the country in reaction.
Anyone who can assist in identifying the individual is asked to contact Ridley Township Detectives at (610)532-4002.