After Signs Vandalized, Towson Church Plans Unity Rally

TOWSON, MD — A church in Towson is hosting a rally against hate this weekend. The event comes after signs outside Maryland Presbyterian Church on Providence Road were vandalized.

Words of love and inclusion had been crossed out, and hateful expressions had been scrawled over them.

One sign that said "We Celebrate Our LGBTQ+ Friends and Family" and "We love our Muslim and immigrant neighbors" was altered to display homophobic and Islamophobic sentiments, The Baltimore Sun reported.

The word "celebrate" was crossed out, and the word "hate" put over it, Fox 45 reported.

"Maryland Presbyterian Church was the target of a hate crime because we love and celebrate our LGBTQ+ members & neighbors, and because we love our Muslim and Immigrant neighbors," the church posted on its Facebook page.

The church is led by a gay pastor and is known for being inclusive, The Baltimore Sun reported.

In response to the act of hate, the police department is reportedly investigating the incident as a bias crime, and the church is hosting a rally on Sunday.

"Come join us to sing and respond to hate with love and light," the church posted on its Facebook page. "All people of good will are welcome."

The "Hate Has No Home Here: Unity Rally" will take place at 10 am. on Sunday, Feb. 17, at Maryland Presbyterian Church, 1105 Providence Road, Towson.

This is not the first Towson church to be victimized by vandals.

In 2017, the Towson Unitarian Universalist Church was the target of repeated vandalism to its Black Lives Matter sign. The sign was also stolen.

Elsewhere in Baltimore County, Immanuel United Church of Christ in Catonsville was vandalized with homophobic sentiments too. That was in 2016.

According to separate crime statistics from the FBI and Maryland State Police, Baltimore County leads the state in the number of hate crimes reported.

SEE ALSO:

• Towson Black Lives Matter Sign Taken For 7th Time: Report
• Hate Crimes In Maryland: FBI Report Shows Increase
• Towson Sees Rash of Bias-Related Vandalism: Report
• Police Investigate Catonsville Church Vandalism as Possible Hate Crime

Image of Maryland Presbyterian Church via Google street view.