Causa Condems Act of Violence Against Community, Church Congregation in Bend

Causa Condems Act of Violence Against Community, Church Congregation in Bend

Bend, Ore-- On Tuesday, Causa and allies for Immigration Reform gathered at Trinity Episcopal Church in Bend to urge Congressman Greg Walden to support Comprehensive Immigration Reform with legalization for 11 million undocumented immigrants including a path to citizenship.  The gathering is part of a 5 day bus tour from March 5th through March 9th to raise up support for immigration reform among residents of rural communities in Oregon’s 5^th Congressional District.  

At 2:00am Wednesday morning, it was reported that seven arson fires damaged the historic Trinity Episcopal Church and an adjacent building, two detached garages, two cars and a wood pile.  Bend Police also reported that vandalism accompanied the fire. The Oregon State Police, the Oregon State Fire Marshal, the FBI and ATF have been brought in to investigate.

Causa condemns this act of violence -- regardless of motive -- against the peaceful Trinity Episcopal Church community and Bend residents.

“This thoughtless violence is a tragedy for all who live in this church community, Bend and our State”, said Francisco Lopez, Executive Director of Causa Oregon.  “Our hearts go out to members of this church community whom we shared a meal and personal stories with just yesterday. We condemn these acts of violence regardless of the motive and urge anyone who knows those responsible to make it known to police.”

The news report of the investigation can be found here:    http://www.ktvz.com/news/String-of-seven-suspicious-fires-hit-church-NW-Bend/-/413192/19199450/-/xt67d9/-/index.html

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About Causa Oregon

Causa, Oregon's Statewide Immigrant Rights Organization is the largest Latina and Latino civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org