‘Mountain’ of tires left in latest act of vandalism at church, Washington priest says
The Rev. Harley A. Crain and his wife pulled into the driveway at St. Barnabas Anglican Church in Shoreline, Washington, and “everything looked good” at a glance.
They were admiring the freshly mowed lawn May 1 when their gaze turned toward “a mountain of used toxic tires” feet from Thornton Creek, Crain told McClatchy News in a phone interview May 8.
In total, they counted 95 tires.
It’s the latest incident of vandalism on the property, which has been ongoing for the past year and getting worse, Crain said.
The small church sits on a large property with a grassy field. The east side backs up to Interstate 5, and the church has neighbors to the west.
Before Crain became the priest of the parish 19 years ago, he said people used the far end of the lot to dump debris.
“We cleaned that up, reclaimed it and have really not had problems until recently,” he said.
Then over the past year, vandalism started ramping up at the church.
Two trailers were abandoned on the property, a rock was thrown into a window and the building was marked by graffiti, Crain said.
Additionally, pry marks can be seen on every door around the church, and the hardware and latches on a shed have been stolen multiple times. Crain gave up replacing the hardware and used a twig, but that was stolen, too, he said.
Six cameras were then installed on the property.
“Within the week, half of them were stolen,” he said.
Crain said he reported the tires to authorities. The Shoreline Police Department confirmed an online report was made May 1, and it is investigating the incident.
This latest case of vandalism isn’t “easy to address,” and it “could really open up to much more difficult problems,” he said.
One issue is the 95 tires were ditched feet from Thornton Creek, Crain said. The tires are toxic and could leach into a water source, he said.
Thornton Creek eventually meets with Lake Washington.
Crain is also facing another issue: finding a permitted contractor to remove them, he said.
Residents can only “dispose of 4 or fewer passenger car tires per vehicle,” according to the King County Solid Waste Division.
Now Crain has to figure out the best way to safely remove the tires while also adding more security measures around the church without turning it into a “fortress.”
“We’re a small group. We’re doing everything we can to keep things looking good and being presentable, but extra costs are always a push,” he said. “We do a little bit and catch our breath and do a little bit more.”
Crain also said he wants the church to be a welcoming green space or “park-like setting” for the neighborhood.
Shoreline is about a 10-mile drive north from Seattle.
This story was originally published May 9, 2024 at 1:11 PM.
