Burglars have dampened spirits at a San Jose church ahead of Thanksgiving. Damian Trujillo reports.
Burglars have dampened spirits at a San Jose church ahead of Thanksgiving.
Star of David Church, a ministry for people trying to leave gang life and people who have spent time in prison, finds itself $20,000 in the hole following thefts on consecutive days.
The church said surveillance footage from last Wednesday shows two men ransacking the building.
"It's tough times for everybody, we know that, but there’s jobs everywhere," Pastor Sonny Lara said. "These guys should just get jobs like real people do. They took our computers, took our sound system, took our keyboard."
The next day, the burglars returned for more. Most of the musical instruments and electronics used for church services were taken, including a vintage conga worth thousands, Lara said.
"You know I thought of putting a reward, but you know what, they’re not even worth a dollar, man, cause they will get exposed," Lara said.
The church filed two police reports for both burglaries. It's also organizing a community meeting with city leaders to address crime concerns.
"It's happened to seven different buildings," churchgoer Anthony Herrera said. "I’ve talked to all of them already. They’re all upset."
Star of David Church said it will go on with its holiday food and toy drive, and it will continue its youth outreach and Sunday services.
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"It's ugly, feel violated," Lara said. "Here we are doing all the good work in the community. All we ask is, people, please help us bring these guys to justice. They don’t deserve to victimize anyone else."
