So there was some local help and concern as of a week ago, Rev. Mackey said, but not a lot. The shocking part to me, even to this day, I have not heard from the mayor of this town, nor the city council of this town, nor the chief of police of this town since it happened. But the national assistance Mackey solicited made rebuilding possible, and last week, the new pews were being installed. Meanwhile, the pastor was working to lift the veil of silence he felt covered the more than 30 church burnings throughout the South. Parishioners weren't speaking up, he said, partly because a long history of racism left them intimidated.
People are afraid to speak out.
They live here. They bank here, and they drive their cars here. They know their cars, and they're afraid that somebody is going to see it, hear it, and retaliate against it. But Rev. Mackey and other ministers from burned churches did speak out. So did the National Council of Churches which, along with several civil rights organizations, sent a delegation to visit many of the arson sites.