The pastor of the First Works Baptist Church was condemned.
The FBI and local authorities are investigating an explosion and vandalism at a church in Southern California known for its controversial pastor and anti-LGBT views.
First Works Baptist Church in El Monte, California, east of downtown Los Angeles, was rocked by an explosion early on Saturday, according to the FBI. When responding to the scene shortly after a local time, smoke was coming out of the windows and the outside of the church was covered in graffiti, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.
“It looks like the church walls were vandalized, as well as all the windows,” El Monte police lieutenant Christopher Cano told reporters on Saturday. “[The windows] it seemed that at first it was broken, so we realized that the windows were not broken, that they had actually exploded by some kind of explosion. “
The FBI referred to the explosion as an “IED attack” and said bomb technicians were on the scene investigating.
No one was injured in the explosion, police said.
First Works Baptist Church and its pastor, Bruce Mejia, have developed a reputation for fiery language, labeled by many as hate speech. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, labeled First Works Baptist Church a hate group in 2019 for its anti-LGBT stance.
An online petition asking the mayor of El Monte to force the Baptist Church out of the city’s First Works to receive more than 15,000 signatures.
In reports and on social media, Mejia is strongly opposed to gay marriage. He also used his social media accounts to repeatedly mock President Joe Biden and is vehemently opposed to vaccinations, regularly sharing memes that reject the COVID-19 vaccine.
In comments to The New York Times after the explosion, Mejia said, “It won’t really stop us from doing what we always do.”
“We are not afraid of that. It is just a small bump on the way, and we are still planning to have a church tomorrow, obviously not in this current location, but we are still planning to have a church and once that is all said and done, we will be back “he added.
Los Angeles County supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents the district where the explosion occurred, said in a statement that “violence is never the answer, even in response to the hate speech”.
“Although we still don’t know the reason, I am aware of the anti-LGBTQ + and misogynistic sermons delivered by the pastor of the First Works Baptist Church; and my office referred to issues concerning the pastor to the County Human Rights Commission, which has in collaboration with the city of El Monte to lessen the situation. “
“I value inclusion, diversity and equality. I also support the right to protest peacefully; however, this attack is wrong and it is dangerous, ”added Solis. “I urge city leaders, religious leaders and civic leaders to come together and work together to resolve the hate problems in our community.”
El Monte Mayor Jessica Ancona I wrote on Twitter, “This morning’s incident involving the Baptist Church of the First Works is of great concern to me and all of us in our large city of El Monte. I am asking for a complete and thorough investigation to be carried out by all necessary agencies and entities such as the FBI, the LA sheriffs, the LA county firefighters, the El Monte police, including the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission. As its mayor, I will always ensure that the city of El Monte remains an example of civility, respect, and inclusion of all people across the country. “
A protest scheduled to take place outside the church on Sunday was canceled, according to organizers, Keep El Monte Friendly, who wrote on social media that “they would never promote, encourage or tolerate any violence or acts of harm.”
“We kindly encourage everyone not to get involved with violence and not to fight hate with hate,” the group wrote in a second Facebook message late Saturday. “Once again, Keep El Monte Friendly was created to unite the community and create a safe space for everyone. We will continue to progressively overcome this struggle for peace.”
The FBI asked someone with information about the explosion to call 310-477-6565.