Church That Defied Government Shutdown Burned to the Ground

The burning of a church in northern Mississippi this week is being investigated as arson because of a spray-painted message at the scene that seemed to criticize the church’s defiance of coronavirus restrictions.

First Pentecostal Church had sued the city of Holly Springs, Miss., which is about an hour southeast of Memphis, arguing that its stay-at-home order had violated the church’s right to free speech and interfered with its members’ ability to worship.

After firefighters put out the blaze early Wednesday, the police found a message, “Bet you stay home now you hypokrits,” spray-painted on the ground near the church’s doors, according to Maj. Kelly McMillen of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department.

A photograph of the graffiti also appears to show an atomic symbol with an “A” in the center, which is sometimes used as a logo for atheist groups.

Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi said on Twitter that he was “heartbroken and furious” about the fire.

I am heartbroken and furious. In Mississippi, a church was just burned to the ground. They had been trying to open services. There was graffiti on the lot which read “Bet you stay home now you hypocrites.”

What is this pandemic doing to us? We need prayer for this country. pic.twitter.com/TdGHqs9evv

— Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) May 21, 2020

 Major McMillen said the police had found a can of white spray paint and a flashlight at the scene. He said that no suspects had been identified, but that investigators, including from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and potentially the F.B.I., would be going through the scene on Friday.

“We’ll probably be there till dark tomorrow night because we’re going to have to go through each and every piece of it,” he said.

After growing frustration with the city’s executive orders, the first of which was issued on March 23, the church’s pastor, Jerry Waldrop, confronted city officials at a demonstration at a local Walmart. The church also filed a lawsuit against the city in April.

A lawyer for the church said in the lawsuit that the police had cited Mr. Waldrop on Easter for holding a service in violation of the city’s order, and had later shut down a Bible study.