By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
February 8, 2012

“This time they went the distance,” Pastor Joey Condon said of the graffiti tags.

Unfortunately for Grace Church of the Nazarene, 4300 Independence Ave., graffiti wars on church property aren’t new.

Typically, the vandals tag the fellowship hall, but toward the end of January, East Side Locos (ESL) gang members tagged two sides of the stone and brick sanctuary and three sides of fellowship hall.

“It’s going to cost us $250 for this little happy spree and we don’t have that,” Condon said.

It’s money that could be used for other ministries, he said.

East Patrol Community Interaction Officer Jason Cooley called the tagging a bold move.

“In my personal opinion, it’s an attack against religion when they do something like that,” Cooley said. “They’re doing it to mark their territory regardless of where they do it and what they do it on. To do it on a church, they know what they’re doing. It’s obviously a disrespectful thing toward a church.”

Condon said he believes the church is a target because it fronts Independence Avenue, a busy thoroughfare.

“If they want to display a message, it’s out there in front of God and everybody,” he said.

Each time vandals tag the church, Condon removes the graffiti as soon as possible. This time, volunteers from Southwood Nazarene Church, Raytown, Mo., assisted in the cleanup.

“I feel sad. It’s hard to feel like progress is being made,” Southwood Pastor Deanna Hayden said of the tagging. “Our work is for the Lord and we’re trying to encourage people’s spiritual walks and help them grow in their faith. It’s discouraging to see stuff like this.”

For several hours, the Southwood volunteers scrubbed away the graffiti, wearing down the new wire bristle brushes into nubs. On one side of the fellowship hall, black colored graffiti marred the stone and ruined artwork that Condon and others had painted.

“It was sickening, heartbreaking and sad – especially on the stone,” volunteer Kathy Vogt said. “I really felt bad for what happened to them here. It’s happened so many times, I just wanted to help out.”

“I think the sadness is you try to keep the church as a beacon for hope and as a clean, respectable property; we’re amidst some of the abandoned houses across the street,” Condon said. “Then, they tag the church and leave more work and expense. That money could be used for other areas of our ministry.”