Nearly $100,000 was pledged Tuesday to restoration efforts at Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, which was hit last weekend by what school officials called the largest case of vandalism in school history.
A life-size Virgin Mary statue that has been at the school since it opened in 1958 was decapitated and vandals ripped the church tabernacle — a fixed, locked box that holds the Eucharist — from the sanctuary and threw it to the ground, Tony Tripp, the Catholic school’s director of advancement, told the Press-Telegram on Monday.
It appeared that individuals tried to pry open the sanctuary doors but could not get inside, Tripp said.
Several items, such as the sound system, appeared to be positioned by the door as if the alleged perpetrators were planning to steal the equipment before fleeing, he said.
Tripp added that police told school officials that it seemed as if a large group had entered the school hall, where some people wanted to steal from the campus and others were set on a mission to destroy property.
School staff reported the vandalism at about 7:20 a.m. Monday.
Police have collected blood samples, fingerprints, shoe prints and other evidence.
The desecrated tabernacle was removed by a priest before school officials contacted parents to assist with organizing and determining what items were destroyed or stolen, Tripp said.
A GoFundMe campaign aimed at raising funds to fix the damage had garnered $95,393 toward a target of $100,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. According to the post, “the school assembly hall, chapel and classrooms had been broken into and desecrated.”
“What appears to have been multiple perpetrators smashed statues and ruined images of our Lady, other statues as well, and threw the tabernacle down,” the GoFundMe post read, adding that Bishop Mark Trudeau called it “the worst case of vandalism that he’s ever seen in the region.”
Two donations were for $10,000 each. One of them was from Gabriel Iglesias, who grew up in Long Beach, but it was not immediately clear if the donor was the comedian of the same name, who is widely know as “Fluffy.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district covers Long Beach, decried what happened and pledged her support.
“This was not just an act of vandalism, this was a horrific violation of a school and faith community,” according to a statement issued by her office on Tuesday. “This should be a safe place for families to live their faith and for children to grow and learn. Instead, it has been desecrated.
“I stand with the parishioners and families of Holy Innocents. My office has reached out to offer my full support and any help they need as they heal from this assault on their community. I look forward to those responsible being brought to justice.”