Mormon temple closed after white substance found

The Mormon Temple in Westwood was closed this afternoon after an envelope filled with an unidentified white powdery substance was delivered to temple employees, Los Angeles police said.

At about 3:30 p.m., a hazardous-materials team was sent to the temple at Santa Monica Boulevard and Overland Avenue, said LAPD Officer Karen Smith.

The temple has recently been the site of protests by opponents of Proposition 8, though it is not clear whether the envelope was related to protests over the gay marriage ban, officials said.

"It is unknown who it's from or who it's addressed to, or any of that," Smith said.

Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said agents were on the scene. A similar letter was received at the Salt Lake City Mormon Temple at about 3:30 p.m. local time today, according to Juan Becerra, a spokesman for the FBI's Salt Lake City field office. "Our hazmat team as well as Salt Lake City Fire Department responded, collected the evidence, and it is now at the lab," he said.

Meanwhile, earlier today a gay rights activist submitted a formal complaint to the enforcement division of the California Fair Political Practices Commission alleging that the Mormon church failed to report the value of the work, including phone banks, commercials and other services, done to support the gay marriage ban.

Proposition 8, which amends the state constitution, was approved by voters last week.

--Tami Abdollah

Comments

[Bayou Vol]

I see your true colors shining through..."militant gay fascists now turn to terrorism" should be the headline

[Teleb]

Nice, this will really get the people behind you.

[Jasun]

Uh huh. I bet someone carved a B onto their faces too. Does anyone believe anything those people would say?

[echo1]

Reading Comprehension 101, people:

""It is unknown who it's from or who it's addressed to, or any of that," Smith said."

[Brad Neal]

Clearly the gay activists are not acting in their best interests but instead reacting to this loss with emotions but no rationale thought. They need to regroup and work to get another ballot measure passed. But conducting themselves this way is disrespectful to the democratic process and it certainly will not garner support for their important cause.

[C. Corliss]

I got ten bucks that says the Mormons sent themselves the powder... they benefit the most from painting the gays as terrorists and we know terrorists have no rights in this country...

Very, very Rovian...

[cellxx]

When will people understand the difference betweent he LDS church and the members of the LDS chuch? The LDS members are the ones who put in work asking people to support Proposition 8 - because they were standing for what they believe. The LDS Church, on the other hand, while supporing Prop 8, did not donate money to the cause - its members did.

[Sandy Dandy]

WHat causes the gays and thair supporters to be violent, fascist terrorists?

Hmm...let's see now...could it be SATAN??!!! (thank you church lady for keepin' it real)

[Mike]

The Mormon church is a legit target for protests but the powdered substance in the mail was totally over the line.
Shame on whatever idiot hurt the cause of millions of peaceful marriage equality advocates.

[Michael]

I think its fair enough to assume that perhaps those who are wishing to cast gay people in a negative light almost certainly sent that stuff.

[Wade]

That is going too far, I do hope they catch who ever sent it....that is terrorism, as far as the Church goes, I think if they had anything to do with the passage of the proposition 8,which I think they did, they were the ones that kept on telling voters that gay lifestyle was going to be taught in school, which was not true....The should take the word GOD from the Pledge of Allegiance, and from being even mentioned in Schools. Also The IRS should remove The Church of Later Day Saints from the Tax Exempt status, I believe in the Separation of Church & State...and if that works, it will teach the Religious Right to keep their little holier than thou attitude in check.

[ilk]

This report failed to mention that the LDS temple in Downtown Salt Lake City (which has also been protested in the last week) had an exactly similar white powdery envelope delivered via mail today. It was evacuated and shut down this afternoon.

[John Bacon]

Check out the latest on Prop 8: Homosexual Rights Protesters Assault 80 Year Old Christian Supporter of Prop 8. The Article “Palm Springs Rally Turns Violent” by Kimberly Cheng KPSP Local 2 News Palm Springs, CA. Link to website for Channel 2: http://www.kpsplocal2.com/Global/story.asp?s=9315303 . I am concerned about civil unrest arising out of the division over Prop 8, please post the articles and websites where the Yes on Prop 8 Supporters have assaulted the No on Prop 8 Supporters, I'm sure there are many where those bigoted black and latino backers of Prop 8 have acted out!!

[ekiM]

Jump to conclusions much? Who says the Mormons didn't do it?

[Josh]

Threaten people's rights and this is what happens. Is this "justified"...no, am I surprised that they're getting the wraith of a justifiably pissed off people...absolutely not. The Mormons espouse hate and bile. They should get their tax exemption stripped- plain and simple.

[John]

This act certainly shows tolerance. Oh yeah, isn't that what these protests are about - Tolerance?

[Des]

That's just tragic. I don't agree with their religion, or their support of Prop 8, but I do support their right of practice and to express their opinions. Granted as a religious organization, they enjoy a tax exempt status which should preclude them from politics, but since when has that ever stopped the Catholics. Organized religion has always expressed their "opinions" about our countries policies and leaders. But this is a blatant attack on people who don't share the same views that the person who sent the powder does. Isn't this act just as destructive, if not more so, than the lobbying against Prop 8 was.

[corntrader19]

jGays are always complaining about hate and intolerance. Look who's calling the kettle black?

[V T Moreno]

Hey, don't blame all gays & lesbians for the actions of a possible nutcase. And don't underestimate the ability of the Mormon Church to play the "victim". They've had a long history of doing this so don't be surprised if they did it themselves.

So don't point fingers until the police have had a chance to confirm all the facts!

[josh]

If you want to group radical extremists with protestors, then you have to group radical extremists with all their groups respectively. I dont think you'd really be willing to go that far. Learn to think critically.

[eric]

this is absolutely deplorable, and i hope that they somehow manage to find the person who sent these packages and, as we say, bring them to justice.

BUT don't jump to conclusions on this story. it's quite possible that someone looking to defame lgbt activists/further polarize people sent the package (or some deranged individual with no position on the issue).

can we please not look at the actions of an unidentified individual and assume we now know the true character of a whole group of people?

[G]

Just imagine for a moment if all the roles here were reversed:

If Prop 8 had failed by 5 points
And then Mormons spent the last week marching around city buildings throwing a hissy-fit about how unfair the other side's campaign was.
And then mysterious white powder showed up in the main office of the Courage Campaign.

What kind of coverage would that have gotten from the LA Times?

Probably more than a blog entry.

[tz]

Of course, "militant gay fascists now turn to terrorism" should be headline. Except that: (1) legitimate newspapers are distinguished from opinion on Drudge, "Fox News," Rush Limbaugh, etc. in that the former don't use polemics and name-calling in their headlines; (2) there is no indication that this actually was a work of "terrorism" or a false alarm; (3) there is no indication that "gays" were involved in the incident; (4) there is no indication whether this was the work a "militant gay fascist" group or a single individual. Other than that, of course, "militant gay fascists" should be demonized.

[pitbullstew]

well? the mormons got off into this secular matter, nobody protested the mormons lately? now i dont condone any bad behavior but the mormons thought they would step off the reservation and impose their religious beliefs by altering the constitution? I dunno? I get the feeling somebody started a revolution over stuff like this and called it the united states of america, not the us of mormon?
separation of church and state was defined for a reason and it seems to me ol mitt romney 's gloved hand was here?hmmmm?
where is ol mitt these days anyways?

[Joel]

You can't just assume that it's a particular group responsible for this. All it takes is one fanatic person anywhere in the world to send a package.
Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
It seems to me that people have forgotten that and screamed guilty without proof!

[Kara]

Bayou Vol, your ignorant.
these mormons lie so much, that they probably did it, and blamed it on the protesters. They LIE

[Sui Generis]

Come on, do you really practice what you preach or are you two just self-indulgent? This article in no way, shape or form concludes what the white powdery substance was and who the culprit(s) is(are).

Now, even if it turns out that the offender was indeed a homosexual that acted in malice, it would be absolutely erroneous and ignorant to pin that on every other homosexual.

Stop spreading the HATE mate.

[Dr. No]

Given the recent Prop 8 decision, and the relentless gay protesting at the Temple, this act could *only* be linked to an intolerant, irresponsible, and undemocratic gay community that should be under surveillance by the FBI. The intolerant homosexual community now has shamefully lowered itself as equal to the insane Uni-Bomber Ted Kaczynski and lunatic Olympic Bomber Eric Robert Rudolph.

It's nothing less than hypocritical of the gay to community to constantly demand "tolerance" of their beliefs, and yet when the people of California democratically make a decision for Prop 8, the majority of gays are totally incapable of showing tolerance and respect of the beliefs of others.

It’s odd that most homosexuals would consider themselves Democrats, and yet don’t seem to like behavior of Democracies. When there is a Democratic vote that doesn't go their way, these "Democrats" refuse to embrace Democracy. Instead, they start plotting like a young Hitler to overthrow that Democracy.

The gay community should be ashamed for selfishly attempting to undermine the Democratic process by seeking activist judges to overturn Prop 8. They make themselves look like a self-serving Dictator doing anything possible to trample Democracy and crush the political will of the people determined by a completely fair and appropriate voting process. The recent behavior of these “anti-Democracy gays” in California are a total embarrassment to this state and to our country. I don’t even want to admit to friends outside California that I live here. Maybe “anti-Democracy gays” should start their own political party called "The Anti-Democracy Party" or “Activist Judge Party” because when homosexuals don't get their way in a civilized Democratic society, the response is to crush Democracy through subversive means. Either way, stop calling yourselves “Democrats” because you’re not Democratic. The more I learn about the activities and dishonorable intentions of the homosexual community to undermine Democracy in California the more I resent this group. Their behavior is not consistent with the principles that founded this great nation over 200 years ago.

The Democracy-resenting gay community should be under surveillance by the FBI to be sure no other churches, synagogues, or mosques are sent envelopes laced with poison or bombs. The appropriate response to Prop 8 is respect and acceptance of Democracy – not shamefully undermining it.

[Miguel]

So who's the RACIST NOW? Who's the HATER NOW? Who's the BIGOT NOW? Tolorance to the gay agenda is that everyone else MUST COMFORM and ACCEPT their "choosen" lifestyle. The gay agenda want everyone else, especially christians to shut-up and go into the closet. So what's next, are members of the Mormen church to be boycotted at their homes or businesses. This is total HATE toward every Prop 8 supporter.

[scott h]

Thank you for reinforcing my yes vote on prop 8

[Mr. J]

this has to be a big joke! I am appalled that anyone is that sick! And the gall of these people to file complaints for not reporting the cost of time people spent working. The was peoples own political time spent for a proposition they backed

[Zach]

Any proof the gays did this? No? Then shut up. It's stupid to blame anyone, especially an entire group, before anything's been investigated. It's as likely a radical gay as it is self-sabotage as it is totally unrelated. Point is, whoever did it needs to be found and punished for this attempt at escalating the situation to violence.

[Steph]

Why same sex marriages principle for society does not work- Where do we draw the line on marriage, civil unions, sexual orientation? For the benefit of all societies same sex marriage should not be legalized not based on religious beliefs but based on what promotes a healthy society. While homosexuallity should not be illegal in any way same sex marriage and polygamy should remain a sexual orientation not a legal instituion.

http://www.childbrides.org/canada_REAL_polyg_around_the_corner.html

http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.shtml?cmd%5B157%5D=x-157-562275

[Randy]

So anybody could have sent the envelope, I'm not going to rush to judgment, but is this terrorism? Hello, anybody, anybody?

[John Bacon]

Check out the latest on Prop 8: 80 Year Old Christian Supporter of Prop 8 Assaults Homosexual Rights Protesters. The Article “Palm Springs Rally Turns Violent” by Kimberly Cheng KPSP Local 2 News Palm Springs, CA. Link to website for Channel 2: http://www.kpsplocal2.com/Global/story.asp?s=9315303

[YaGottaBeKiddin]

Thugs! We will NOT redefine "marriage" or "democracy". Move on (or Move out. Property is cheaper in Connecticut and Massachusetts. I bet they've got a lower sales and income tax there too. Special For You.) We'll miss you..

[Volker]

People: can you read? The article states: "It is unknown who it's from or who it's addressed to, or any of that," - Remember the Oklahoma City bombing and the Anthrax attacks and the people that were finally arrested? - So wait before you prematurely accuse anybody, because all what your vicious comment(s) show(s) are the "true colors" of the "Yes on 8" campaign: discrimination based on hate.

[MarkG]

So was this stuff fairy dust ?

[Pick a Winner]

The liberal agenda tries to move forward no matter what the damage to civilized life and traditional values. Boooo.

[Madeline]

It's nice to see people jumping to conclusions. Even if the powder proves to be dangerous, I doubt it was sent by an organised group - perhaps a disgruntled individual associated with the No on Prop 8 campaign, but it's not exactly the style of the pro-rights activists.

Don't judge us on an unconfirmed allegation. And if it is confirmed, don't judge us on one voter's actions - you'd hate it if we judged you on a basis of who you voted similarly to.

[Alan Tong]

Reading this from Great Britain I see why the world laughs at Americans. The huge majority of those voting for Prop 8 are black people and latinos. The idea is raised by the Catholics, and born again Christians, and the gay people turn on the Mormons????? Even if money was raised mainly by the Mormons, surely they weren't the only ones that voted for it???? They have preached for over 150 years, and the vast majority choose not to follow them. On one vote everyone does????? Where is your logic in that???? Were they to blame for the other 27 States that voted against gay marriage?

I do not see people marching on St Peter's Basilica, or on the offices of Black or born again groups. Is it really just another way to get at the Mormons? Maybe that is "politically correct" whilst to do so against other groups is not.

Still you have been able to practice on Mormons since 1820. Why stop now????? Even those who are reaklly anti-gay seem to be joining in, even though they in all probability agree with what the Mormons said on this one. It allows them their closet Mormon bashing.

[KB]

It looks like the gay people are involved in HATE crimes also. Funny how they claim that their rights are violated, but secretly they are giving out their own HATE.

In a free country, everyone should be allowed their own belief and opinion without harm or fear of retribution.

Apparently there is more to the gay agenda than we have thought. This only means that those people and their agenda will need to be watched more closely. I will start looking deeper into the movement, perhaps a greater christian grass roots wake up call is in order?

[Jim]

This is obviously the work of a lone crackpot, as are most "white powdery substance" mailings received by people on all ends of the political spectrum.

Please do not blame groups of people before the investigation is complete, and after it is complete, please only blame a group if that group committed the crime as a group.

[JustMe]

Where does all this hate come from? Dr. No, who appointed you judge, jury & executioner? How deep is your hatred that you would convict others by drawing such fanciful parallels with some of the most notorious people in history to inflame others with your hate speech? Incendiary speech is still frowned upon in this democracy. As for loading courts with "Activist Judges", the religious right attempts to do the same in every election as well – so you would deny the democratic process to others when it doesn't suit your needs? Democracy is a two way street.

Yes, the amendment passed; but not without too much interference on BOTH sides – hence the calls for stripping tax-exempt status for the churches involved. You cannot call for adherence to the democratic principle if you willfully chose to ignore the other; namely the separation of church & state to stave off the unwarranted influence of powerful, organized churches who would seek to promote, under the guise of PERSONAL religious beliefs, against those who do not share your view.

Personal members of the church are free to donate money, but the church organization itself cannot interfere in the democratic process by funding such organization – our revered forefathers knew that such influence was contrary to the democracy they founded and in their wisdom made that distinction. No church should be able to claim the benefits of tax-exempt status on one hand whilst flaunting the law that does not suit them with the other. This does not mean they should be barred from fighting for their beliefs, stridently even, but they must forgo the financial benefits exempt status provides if they choose to do so. If they truly believe, then let them "put their money where their mouth is."

As the poster "josh" here put it, you must learn to think critically; there is NO proof of who is responsible for this act, just as there was NO proof that the events certain religious organizations posited were going to come to pass (if they hadn't fanned the flame of hate to arouse peoples' basest fears in troubling times), i.e. promotion of gay marriage in schools, etc. It is disingenious at best to cry for "traditional values" when times change and you feel disenfranchised by a loss of entitlement.

We are all God's children; he doesn't make trash, and he doesn't make mistakes. The religious powers-that-be attempts to foment ignorance and hate has NO place in a democratic society; like those who would quote select passages from the Bible to prop up their argument (but ignore others, i.e. slavery; no where in the Bible are we admonished to abolish it – we came to that revelation on our own), some of their teachings are less relevant in modern society.

Tolerance is insulting because it is not acceptance; the top court in our land ruled years ago that "separate but equal is not equal"; you need to understand the nuances of the rights & dignity of every human being. Prop 8 flies in the face of reason, by legislating hate. What is asked for is a CIVIL union for the purposes of equal protection under the law, not a RELIGIOUS sacrament. Keep all the religious beliefs you want – just don't foist them on me.

We are all free in this democratic society to worship as we please, not just you.

[C]

This is a CIVIL rights issue. The Mormons want protection then they should have kept their mouths shut. How can they attempt to protect the sanctity of marriage when throughout their (even recent) history they practiced polygamy, taking of child brides, and exclusion of blacks in their churches. They should be stripped of their tax exempt status and not recognized as anything then more than a CULT.

As for the evengelical churches both black and white (and other) they should really join this century, Or perhaps focus on their own community problems. Many born-agains are former drug addicts and criminals, others are just simple minded and hateful. When they can realize that the majority of Americans don't care about their beliefs or lifestyles, they should stop caring about anyone else's. I don't bother you in your churches, I don't knock on your doors on Saturday morning. KEEP IT TO YOURSELF! RELIGION IS A PRIVATE MATTER! MARRIAGE IS A PRIVATE MATTER! CIVIL RIGHTS AND BASIC HUMAN DECENCY IS FOR EVERYONE! Why is that so hard for you BIGOTS to understand?

Don't you see, you take away one groups rights and YOU could be next. I bet we could get a MAJORITY vote to get rid of Mormons in California...hmmm not a bad idea.

[JBS]

The Mormon church does not affiliate with any political party. Mormons believe that people are allowed to believe however they want, and that everyone has free agency.This does not we agree that being gay is right. We believe that a man and a woman should be sealed together for time and all eternity, and that while they are on earth, they should create God's precious children, so that one day, all of us can return to our heavenly father. A man and a man or a woman and a woman, cannot create children together. Protesting and sending hazardous materials to their temple makes the gays, and the protestors look very bad. They don't even know what they are doing. If they had the right idea, they would stop, and try to do something rational to influence government, and do something that would have more political efficacy. Please stop protesting. It wont work to your advantage in the long run.

[JBS]

If you believe in or participate in polygamy, then you are NOT a mormon. Polygamy was used many many many years ago, because their were more women than men. IF YOU PARTICIPATE IN POLYGAMY, YOU ARE NOT A MORMON!

[Godbless]

This is a message for gays who are Christians or seeking, and for straight Christians with gay friends. You may not have chosen your circumstances but you can always choose how you will respond. The following link may help you decide on your next steps.

http://www.csindy.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A10755

God bless.

[Momcani]

No one has accused anyone of wrong doing. It was just reported that the substance was sent.