A woman appears in a video showing her trying and failing to set fire to Ebenezer Baptist Church on the corner of Woolsey and Martin Luther King Way in Berkeley, California. Video below from KPIX on YouTube:
Councilmember Ben Bartlett, Berkeley, reports:
For the second time in a year, an African-American church in Berkeley was targeted in an arson attack. This latest attempt was Ebenezer Baptist Church on the corner of Woolsey and Martin Luther King Way. Pastor Kevin Craddock II shared a video of the incident with KPIX.
“We hope this is not racially motivated. However, this is an attack on all of us, and going back in history, the fair housing act came from this neighborhood and when they were passing it, people threw bricks through their windows. And while there is a temptation to separate this attack from racism, to focus instead on mental illness, here’s the thing — Racism is Mental Illness” – Ben Bartlett
If you have any information about the suspect or fire, please contact Berkeley Police Department: [email protected] and our office: [email protected]
Stay tuned.