Primus St. Croix, the man who used a sledgehammer to destroy statues at five Brooklyn Catholic churches, is about to be placed on five years probation. Under a plea bargaining agreement, St. Croix will serve no time behind bars.
William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, voiced his concerns over the pending agreement:
“Thanks to a news release by State Senator Seymour P. Lachman, we learned that Primus St. Croix ‘will get little more than a slap on the wrist.’ Senator Lachman, who is also a distinguished scholar, is right to say that ‘The desecration of religious statues is disgraceful.’ That is why it is imperative for Supreme Court Justice Anne Feldman to deliver a more punitive, and therefore more appropriate, sentence.
“As evidenced by this case, one of the problems with hate crimes legislation is its blatantly political nature. Had St. Croix gone on a rampage destroying busts of Martin Luther King, he might have been treated differently. No matter, what needs to be done in this case is to send a strong message to anti-Catholics that acts of violence will not be tolerated. This cannot be done unless St. Croix has the book thrown at him.”
