MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – A Warren man pleaded guilty Tuesday to spray-painting racist graffiti on a predominately Black church in Roseville, officials announced.
David Bluer, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of damaging religious property, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan. He faces up to one year in prison.
In October 2021, Bluer spray-painted swastikas, the word “die,” his first initial and other graffiti on a Roseville church. He did this because of the race and color of the individuals associated with the church.
Bluer also admitted that he targeted Greater New Life Church because it serves a predominately Black congregation and has a Black pastor, according to the plea agreement.
He allegedly directed two accomplices, including one juvenile, to paint their initials and swastikas on the church.
After defacing the church, they also sprayed similar graffiti on a bathroom in Trombly Park in Warren, according to the plea agreement.
Bluer’s sentencing is scheduled for March 19, 2025.
“Racially motivated crimes have no place in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “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 attacks.”
