Salvation Army wall defaced with graffiti

Jameson Farrell was driving to work Tuesday morning when he noticed provocative graffiti on the wall of the Salvation Army Bloomington.

Salvation Army Operations Manager Scott Parnell called Bloomington police Tuesday night and reported that someone had spray painted “Salvo hates fags” on the east side of the store at 111 N. Rogers St.

Salvation Army has received accusations of discriminating against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community for several years through Facebook posts and emails, according to its website.

“It’s completely untrue,” said Sharyn Tennyson, Salvation Army executive director for Monroe County. “We don’t discriminate against who we serve. We never have and never will.”

Tennyson said she had never seen anything like this at any of the stores she’s worked at before. She has worked for Salvation Army in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.

“To me it’s just a very hateful slur that shouldn’t exist,” Tennyson said. “I just can’t believe someone would do this.”

Salvation Army is a charitable church organization founded by William Booth in London in 1878 and has spread to more than 109 countries.

Farrell was driving by the store when he noticed the graffiti Tuesday morning. He took pictures of the graffiti and posted them to his blog.

“Vandalizing a building with crudely written graffiti is not a way I would recommend sharing one’s political belief,” Farrell said in an email.

Although Farrell said he thought the graffiti was inappropriate, he said he does not support the Salvation Army’s policies.

“Whenever a Salvation Army bell ringer asks for donations, I kindly state that unfortunately I do not despise women and homosexuals enough to support their ‘cause,’” Farrell said in the email. “Rather than donate to the SA, I would highly recommend donating to secular charities.”