Anti-Trump vandalism mystery brings pastor under police scrutiny

Some of the vandalism at the Foppes residence. (Photos provided)

“We stay up all night long,” she said. “We stay up watching the cameras, we stay up behind the fence. Last three nights [before Tuesday] we’ve stayed up behind the fence, and I was inside watching the monitors and he didn’t come back. I was starting to feel a little comfortable, and then he came back and did twice as much damage. He steals flags, he spray-paints flags. He rips them down violently. He rips my fence down. He spray-paints bad things all over the fence. It’s so much hate. And then he sprays my Donald Trump signs. He’s been stealing my Donald Trump signs since November. And I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll just put more up.’ Well, this time when he did it I put twice as much up, and twice as many flags. I only started out with one sign and one little flag. But the more he steals, the more I’m going to put up, because he’s not going to win.”

Foppes said she was most disturbed by the damage done to Old Glory.

“The saddest part of it all is what he’s done to the American flag,” she said. “Not only is he stealing them, he’s ripping them. It might not necessarily have to do with Trump, it might be that I have such a display of American pride, and what a great country America is and can be. It can be even better.”

Foppes added that Trump supporters often face hostility from those on the Democratic side of the equation. “I tell you what: I don’t see any hostility from the Trump people,” she said. “We don’t go ripping down Bernie signs and Hillary signs. If you really go out there and investigate, the only one that’s getting the bad media and the bad things happening to their signs on their property are the Trump supporters. The other side is so angry and so hateful, and you know what? Our president and Hillary have not helped these past eight years, inciting all of this divisiveness between everybody. And it shouldn’t be that way. We’re all Americans. Everybody’s life matters, not just some people’s lives matter. The police are so important to us. They protect us and serve us. Everyday they go out and risk their lives just doing their job. And there’s so much hate, and it’s ridiculous. I just want to hide myself in my house and never leave.”

Checking her privilege

Kelley, who in addition to her work as a pastor is the leader of the Caring Hands Soup Kitchen and a volunteer at Woodbourne Correctional Facility, said her experience with the state police was eye-opening.

“I’ve got to tell you, I’m a white chick and I’ve had the color of my privilege my whole life, and in education I’ve been very blessed,” she said. “But the folks I work with don’t always have such good dealings with the police. They’re people of color, they’re people that are marginalized. And my white privilege has not subjected me to that kind of treatment very often, and I’ve got to tell you, there’s nothing that beats experience. Being treated like a criminal made a bigger impact on me than I’d have anticipated. If you had told me that being interrogated by a police officer would be as traumatic an experience as it was for me, I would not have believed you. I had some crying jags, and I really wasn’t quite right for a couple of days. I think this is indicative of the climate that we’re living in, and that terrifies me.”

Foppes said she thought the police we just being thorough in speaking to Kelley.

Some of the vandalism at the Foppes residence. (Photo provided)

“Obviously it wasn’t her,” she said. “Nobody accused her of it. The police had to investigate anybody that had anything to do with my Trump signs. She did tell me to take my Trump signs down. The police are just doing their job by investigating … I want to find this creep and put him in jail. I just want this person found, and no one seems to know who he is.”

Foppes added that the continued vandalism is taking a toll.

“I might have been happy go-lucky, and I might have had a great summer until this started happening,” she said. “This is terrorism at home. When you’re in your house and you’re worrying what somebody is doing outside your house, maybe they can come inside and do it too.”

Kelley said she and a friend were considering offering to help guard the Foppes’ property, but that she was unsure about how that would be received.

“She’s still getting vandalized, and I really do need to say out loud that I think that’s horrible,” Kelley said. “I’m certainly not supporting the vandalism, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. And this offer to stand guard, I think that’s the next thing we have to do. I’ve got to show something that this is the gospel story. I really believe it is … Whoever the vandals are, they must be enjoying this immensely. And the energy that’s been put into this is interesting. He’s torturing her. And that’s wrong. Nobody thinks that should be happening. Nobody wants her to be hurt. Desecrating the flag and damaging the property is absolutely wrong.”