Springfield Mayor Ken McClure denounces the action taken defacing the south side exterior of Pitts Chapel United Methodist Church with a symbol of hate, a swastika.

“There is no room in our community for this kind of deplorable action and we will not stand for it. I commend NAACP and Pitts Chapel for hosting a news conference today to make the public aware of this and hope that Springfieldians will tune into the live stream on the Pitts Chapel United Methodist Church Facebook page. I also commend the Police Department and Parks Department for quick action in response.”

The Springfield Police Department is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. If anyone has any information about this incident, please contact SPD at 417-864-1810.