Lake L.A. AME Church firebombed
Church services and programs prevail
LAKE LOS ANGELES, Calif.—On Aug. 25, two churches east of Palmdale were targets of arson fires, and together sustained damages totaling $80,000.
Holy Trinity A.M.E. Church, located on Ave. Q in Lake Los Angeles, is a small facility, surrounded by desert and a few scattered homes. Although the building is still erect and looks undisturbed from the outside, a closer look reveals that the church has been abandoned and boarded up. Two windows on the left side of the building are broken, but blocked by two long wooden tables.
A small opening in the window revealed the damage within the building. Inside the ceiling was blackened with roofing material hanging low. A light fixture, which appeared to have been gold before, now blackened, merely blended in with the dark, solemn interior of the former worship location. Faded stained glass windows and a lonely cross, erected on the top of the small, white building is the only bits of evidence denoting the location was ever a church.
Mary Jamerson-Polk, senior pastor of St. John Holy Trinity A.M.E. in Littlerock said the facility has been predominantly used for their outreach services, helping 27 families in the area. Despite the disruption, the members of the church are finding the good in the thick of it all.
“The congregation is a little disturbed and couldn’t believe that this could happen,” she said “Our attitude is God is going to bring us through.”
While the congregation is dealing with the matter, they have moved their food ministry to a nearby sister church, St. John Holy Trinity A.M.E., located at 9543 East Ave. Q-10.
The other targeted church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lancaster, located about five miles away at 41535 170th St., also sustained substantial damages.
Local law enforcement has yet to unveil if the fire bombings were hate crimes. Sgt. Derek Yoshino said the investigation is still underway and no suspects have been detained in connection to the arsons. In the meantime, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is offering a $20,000 reward for anyone who leads detectives to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the crimes.
ANTELOPE VALLEY - The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is offering a $20,000 reward in hopes of tracking down whoever firebombed two churches in the Antelope Valley.
On Aug. 25, the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Palmdale and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lancaster were both the target of arson fires.
The Palmdale church at 18512 E. Avenue Q was completely destroyed, at a loss of $50,000, according to Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who proposed the reward.
COMPTON, Calif. — Former Compton Fire Department Deputy Chief Marcel Melanson is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on grand theft and arson charges related to a fire at the department’s headquarters.
Melanson is suspected of stealing thousands of dollars worth of Motorola radios, selling them online and intentionally setting the Dec. 11, 2011 fire to destroy evidence of the thefts, Steve Whitmore of the sheriff’s department said.
Keller Williams Realty, in conjunction with Palmdale and the Antelope Valley Mall, announced the results of their recent Red Day events.
Between their food drive and Red Day Walk, the groups raised $12,645 in cash and more than 10,000 pounds of food for local charities including South Antelope Valley Emergency Services (SAVES), Grace Resources, the WAVE Foundation and the American Cancer Society.
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — Peter Sagan of Slovakia sprinted past Australian Michael Matthews to win today’s third stage of the Tour of California, the nation’s largest cycling event.
Sagan completed the 110.3-mile stage from Palmdale to Santa Clarita in four hours, 20 minutes, 31 seconds. Each of the next 99 cyclists were credited with the same time.
“The last three kilometers were crazy with all the sprinters who wanted to win,” Sagan said.
PALMDALE, Calif. — The eighth edition of the Tour of California begins two days of racing in Los Angeles County today with a 110.3-mile stage from Palmdale to Santa Clarita.
The 121 cyclists will leave from Marie Kerr Park at 11:20 a.m. for a stage that will feature racing through the hills north of Santa Clarita along San Francisquito Canyon and a 22-mile climb up Lake Hughes Road, followed by a gradual 18-mile descent down Spunky Canyon and Bouquet Road.
