SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – A church in San Francisco is reeling from an ugly discovery last week.
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Pastor Robert Cowan and his wife, of the River of Life Church in Visitacion Valley, found a swastika adorning the church's front door on Thursday, according to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The graffiti was discovered by Cowan's wife, April.
Scrawled in black marker, the symbol shocked the couple. After consulting their son, who's an officer with the San Francisco Police Department, they reported the incident, the paper reported.
At around 6:32 p.m., San Francisco police officers from the Ingleside station responded to the church at the 1400 block of Sunnydale Avenue, according to a statement provided to KCBS Radio from SFPD spokesperson Allison Maxie.
The officers were dispatched on a report of a hate crime. Once on the scene, officers found the vandalism, and as such, the case is being investigated as a potential hate crime.
The incident has rattled Cowan's congregants, who number between 50 and 100, as tension over violent crimes has risen in recent weeks.
As a result, the pastor is contemplating heightening security in the building with cameras, even going as so far as to run the congregation through drills in case of an emergency, according to the paper.
In the meantime, the swastika hasn't been taken down yet. Cowan has kept it up for a congregation meeting on Wednesday to illustrate the seriousness of the situation, the paper reported.
No arrests have been made yet, according to SFPD.
This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and start the message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous.
The River of Life Church did not respond to KCBS Radio's request for comment at the time of publication.
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