Mayor Karen Bass announced Sunday on X, that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) would be deployed at places of worship across the city, following a mass shooting and arson attack at a Michigan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints earlier that morning.
“The reports of a mass shooting and fire during Sunday services at an LDS church in Michigan are devastating,” Bass wrote. “Out of an abundance of caution, @LAPDHQ will increase patrols at places of worship across Los Angeles. This type of violence is reprehensible and should have no place in our country. My heart is with the families impacted and the entire Grand Blanc community.”
The Mormon church in Michigan was mid-service when the shooter opened fire, killing four and injuring eight before being fatally shot by local police. Just one month ago, there was another shooting at a Catholic School in Minnesota, where two children were killed and 20 people were injured.
The attack in Michigan has ignited conversations about violence affecting religious institutions nationwide. Many worshippers of all religions across the country and USC’s campus are reevaluating how safe they feel seeking faith and safety at their respective religious institutions.
“For the people who are seeking help and faith in their lives through religion and then are being met with violence and death just absolutely breaks my heart,” a junior at USC studying creative writing, Fernanda Sanchez, said.
According to Rabbi Dov Wagner at Chabad USC, its leaders are in constant contact with the USC Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the LAPD about keeping their community safe and, more importantly, trying to be a beacon of light.
“I think the more the word is put out there that religious places are our places of light, of love, of acceptance, while at the same time obviously taking whatever precautions need to be taken, the more hopefully there’s a positive sentiment towards them and there’s less of a chance of something like this shooting happening [again],” Wagner said.
At USC, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life oversees over 60 organizations for students and faculty to have communities that support their beliefs.
Our Savior Parish & USC Caruso Catholic Center, USC Hillel, and the Rohr Chabad Jewish Center are also campus partners of national organizations that are home to USC students and local community members alike.
“I mean, I hate to say it, but I have actually thought about it when I was in church [in LA] before, like how do they make sure that doesn’t happen here?” Waverly Bagley, a junior at USC who attends a Christian church in Santa Monica, said. “Like, what if while I’m standing there, what am I supposed to do? I don’t know. I’d feel kind of helpless.”
Students like Bagley shared feelings that freedom of speech and freedom of expression are especially at risk right now in our country.
“Just because there are people who are out living their lives without religion, the people who want to do that should not be being targeted,” Stephen Hong, a sophomore who frequents the USC Caruso Catholic Center, said.
Our Savior Parish & USC Caruso Catholic Center is open to the public. The USC Department of Public Safety and the LAPD are not instructed to station at the Caruso Center unless they are called for an incident. However, there are private hired security guards on the premises at all hours.
“We are actively assessing any potential threat to Los Angeles County, and we have implemented increased patrol checks at critical facilities,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shared at 1:59 P.M. Sunday on X. “All patrol personnel will be briefed on the incident for situational awareness and will remain vigilant.”
DPS did not respond to Annenberg Media’s request for comment.
According to Abdalla Sulaiman, a manager at Masjid Omar ibn Al-Khattab, a mosque located next to USC’s campus, being prepared is important, and there are regular armed security personnel who are trained for unexpected events like intrusions or violence.
“Unfortunately, this is something we have to be prepared for,” Sulaiman said.
“The recent accounts of violence are not going to stop me from being open about my faith and what I accept in my life, but I understand I do have to be careful, especially nowadays,” Hong said. “Not just for Christian followers like myself, but as a follower of any religion, violence itself is just not justified in any sense, and I am just hoping this does not become a domino effect.”
Ariel Ehrlich contributed to the reporting of the story.