NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Gay Church Officials Fear Loss of a Haven

Victims of suspected hate attacks at a North Hollywood gay and lesbian church Friday expressed fear that the incidents have eliminated a safe haven, while gay activists said the crimes reflect a rising trend of gay harassment in Los Angeles.

The statements were made during a noon news conference at the Metropolitan Community Church in the Valley. Since mid-July, the church has been broken into, an anti-gay sign was put outside and congregation members have been harassed.

“This is a house of worship,” said Peggy Mitchell, 53, a deacon at the church. “For many of our congregation, this is the only place where we can be safe because society is not safe for gays and lesbians.”

Mitchell was among three women working outside the church Tuesday when someone drove by in a maroon car and shouted an anti-homosexual epithet.

The Rev. Sherre Boothman on Friday discussed a previously unreported incident. A woman said she heard two gunshots while she was in her car outside the church on the night of July 29, Boothman said. There were no injuries or damage to the church, Boothman said.

The incidents began July 18, when a sign offering a $10 reward for gay lives was found outside the Christian church in the 5700 block of Cahuenga Boulevard. The incident was followed by a break-in on the evening of July 28, which parishioners believe was aimed at retrieving personal information for harassment.

Boothman also said that instead of the several hundred dollars originally claimed to have been stolen during the July 28 burglary, church records indicate that only $5 was taken.