‘It’s unreal.’ Uptick in vandalism forces Tacoma church to increase security efforts
Human waste, graffiti and bullet holes are just some of the issues Living Word Ministry in Tacoma has had to face recently.
The church in the 7000 block of Park Avenue South has been in the same building for over two decades. While it has faced some vandalism during that time, it has gotten significantly worse over the past two to three months.
“It’s unreal,” the church’s pastor, Charles Williams, told The News Tribune on Thursday. “The last about six weeks or so, two months, they started using our property as a restroom. And that’s what really got bad, and we just couldn’t keep up with it.”
Williams said he believes that some people were pushed out an area around South Hosmer Street, which led loiterers to the church. Since then, Williams said they have had people lighting fires on the property, garbage being left behind and windows getting broken.
“They just started coming out of woodwork. We had to have the fire department come one time and put one fire out by the double doors,” he said.
Williams said they have trespassers constantly paint graffiti outside the building, so they have someone on standby to paint over it.
This past Sunday before a service, Williams said the church’s deacon came in early and found garbage on the property. He cleaned it up but could not clean up the feces.
“It hasn’t affected attendance, and we keep our doors locked because [trespassers] do walk in on us,” Williams said.
Those who work in the ministry have had to be more aware of their surroundings. Williams said everyone waits for each other before they leave. Women do not really go to the building unless it is necessary.
Williams said the church is averaging about $300 a month to manage the effects of the vandalism, including getting broken items replaced and the graffiti cleaned up.
The Tacoma Police Department is investigating the allegations made about the vandalism at Living Word Ministry, according to a spokesperson.
A GoFundMe was established to help the church raise funds for a fence that will help mitigate the trespassing and vandalism. So far, about $850 has been raised.
Williams said he hired a company to put up a fence towards the back and sides of the church. The church currently does not have enough funds for a fence to be built on the rest of the property.
“[The fence] is the only way to try to get a peace of mind,” he said.
This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
