Outraged pro-life advocate Mary Higdon sat on the Parade Ground on Monday afternoon to guard the now-defaced tribute to aborted babies. Police recommended she get some kind of security to prevent further vandalism of her exhibit — she said she was all the security she could afford.
Vandals allegedly stole and damaged 3,000 of the 4,000 crosses set up on the Parade Ground this past weekend to protest the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the court case that legalized abortion 32 years ago. Although police say the investigation is still on-going, cross owners are saying police are not taking the vandalism seriously enough.
Higdon said there are probably about 1,000 crosses left on the grounds.
Shortly after 12 a.m. Monday, an LSUPD officer saw five individuals removing crosses from the Parade Ground.
LSUPD Maj. Ricky Adams said the officer identified them and ordered them to leave. He said the officer did not arrest the individuals, but the investigation is still on-going.
Adams said he anticipates the police department will issue charges of criminal mischief or damaged property later this week.
But Higdon, a psychology senior and president of Students for Life — an anti-abortion campus organization — said Monday was not the first instance of vandalism since the group set up the 4,000 crosses Saturday morning.
Higdon said over the weekend, people stole and burned clusters of crosses, spelled out “pro-choice” in broken crosses, spray painted part of the exhibit and placed hangers — an old symbol of illegal abortion — on the grass.
“This is not a game,” Higdon said, “this is private property.”
The crosses, which were on loan from St. Mary and St. Joseph Family Memorial Foundation, cost $3 a piece to make, Higdon said.
Richard Mahoney, president of the foundation, said they have been lending crosses to Students for Life for 10 years and that vandalism has occurred before, but never like this.
Mahoney is furious, and said that if LSUPD does not handle the situation justly, he has lawyers prepared to file suit.
“Defacing a religious symbol is a hate crime,” Mahoney said.
Mahoney said the vandals damaged more than $9,000 worth of private property, which should be prosecuted as a felony.
But Adams said there is no way of knowing who took what, so the identified individuals probably will be charged with misdemeanor charges.
Mahoney said that if a Jewish or other religious minority group set up an exhibit that vandals defaced, such as the Star of David, the act would not be tolerated.
He said a Christian organization should not have to tolerate it either.
“This is not just a couple of broken crosses,” he said. “This is a symbol of our faith. They spit on Christ, his church and his people.”
But Adams said LSUPD has had similar complaints in past years, and recommended that any time a group put a controversial display like this on the parade grounds, they should get more security.
Higdon said Students for Life should solicit donations for security for the exhibit next year.
The group plans to keep the crosses up until Wednesday.