WASHINGTON STATE : Church Fires Spur Anti-Racism Vigil

Religious and civic leaders in Seattle are planning a community vigil to fight racism following two church fires in the Northwest that mirrored the burning of black churches in the South. Members of churches, synagogues and mosques will go to houses of worship on Saturday as a “symbolic statement against this violence,” said the Rev. John Boonstra of the Washington Assn. of Churches. Investigators are looking into a blaze that caused $20,000 damage at the Eritrean Orthodox Church in Seattle. In Portland, Ore., a fire at a predominantly black church is also under investigation.