[Photo via the Daily News]
Last Wednesday night, police say a man broke into the Church of the Immaculate Conception on East 14th Street near First Avenue and smashed the stations of the cross and other religious artifacts worth an estimated $100,000.
According to the Daily News today, police caught Michael Torres, 20, inside the church around 10 p.m. Torres, described by the NYPD as "emotionally disturbed," had been at Immaculate Conception earlier in the evening for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He reportedly returned and broke into the church.
Bedford + Bowery has more photos and a report here.
16 comments:
As little as I care for the church now, thus wanton destruction, especially when he was receiving help from them is just so wrong
Put him away for life. What happens if next time it's a person? Anyone that disturbed should not be free to walk around.
He's probably not going to get put away for life—for property destruction—but he needs serious psychiatric care.
I wonder if they can bring in some of the statuary from Mary Help of Christians to replace the stuff that got smashed? Really sad story.
Other churches usually step in and help in these cases. He wont get put away until he pushes someone onto the subway tracks and they die. That's how it is. There is a legal movement to commit guys like this BEFORE someone dies. Hopefully the law can change and these people can be forced to receive treatment. They are so out there they refuse help and there isn't much legally that can be done. I've seen them refuse shelter and all assistance. It a sad and scary situation. I see these guys on the subway all the time. Its surprising more aren't hurt or killed. Something needs to be done.
One of the destroyed statues was from Mary Help of Christians church.
The textbook definition of an Iconoclast.
The guy in Brooklyn that (allegedly) stabbed two 7 yr olds was mentally ill and had not taken his medication. The city has cut so much from the mental health budget that we will be reading stories like this more often.
Has it been confirmed that the man has a mental illness? The police said "emotionally disturbed" but that just means heightened emotions such as angry, sad, deliriously happy etc. And since when are the cops trained psychiatrists able to diagnose? Why are people so quick to stigmatize the man as in need of psychiatric treatment? That he broke religious artifacts which could have been sold, replaced with plastic and the money could have gone to the support of the needy? Blame the church custodians for turning a house of worship into a museum worthy reliquary with inadequate security.
Okay, he may not have a mental illness, but if he had [reportedly] just been at an AA meeting, he was seeking some sort of help.
Here's a chance for the Church to turn the other cheek. This does not appear to be a case of teenagers getting drunk and egging each other to "f" something up or someone looking for financial gain. I would say these actions are of a man with mental health problems. Before anyone else suggest locking him up for life please keep in mind mental illness can affect anyone of us sometime in our lives. This guy needs lots of help and oversight not prison bars.
in the new America of zero personal accountability -"lets blame the church for this". Unreal.
They still had poinsettias? Wow.
Someone once said something about selling expensive stuff and giving the money to the poor. Wonder whatever happened to him?
Many poor people come to that church every day. How dare they deserve to have nice things?
Funny how things are. You have the fall to blast churches. You give to Manitoba and other businesses. Churches in Manhattan feed the needy. Over 100 churches feed regularly. What do you do? Just shut up. Please.
I posted re:mental health in our city, I am neither for or against churches. And I volunteer about 30 hrs a month via NY Cares. And I like Manitoba's. We need to stop boring bickering and come together to help ALL in our community. I am deeply saddened by the destruction at this church and the downfall of the man indicated in this senseless act. I am disappointed that such a smart community can not find a way to help those in need with out disparaging both the church and the man.
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