Warren Man Pleads Guilty To Defacing & Damaging A Black Church

Thursday, December 5, 2024, 6:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

DETROIT, MI.- On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, David Bluer, 34, of Warren, Michigan, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and pleaded guilty to one count of Damaging a Religious Property.

     In return for Bluer’s guilty plea, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will recommend that Bluer be sentenced to up to 12 months in federal prison. Following his plea allocution, a U.S. District Court Judge accepted Bluer’s plea and scheduled sentencing for March 19, 2025.

According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office

     According to U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison and charging documents filed with the court, in October 2021, Bluer spray-painted several swastikas, the word “Die,” and other racial slurs on the Roseville church because of the race and color of congregants associated with the church. Specifically, Bluer admitted that he intentionally defaced the church because the church serves a predominantly Black congregation and is officiated by a Black pastor.

     “Today’s guilty plea should send a clear message that our office will aggressively protect our district’s houses of worship, including against attacks motivated by race and color,” said U.S. Attorney Ison.

     “Racially motivated crimes have no place in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Divison. “Hate crimes are message crimes intended to sow fear and terror in communities. Through this prosecution, the Justice Department sends its own message that we will protect communities from such hate-fueled violence and use every tool at our disposal to investigate and prosecute those who perpetrate these heinous acts.”