Religion · Charlotte, NC Metro · August 27, 2026
Woman, two juveniles charged in fire, vandalism near NC church
What Alinsky tactic is being used
One of the thirteen rules is in play here.
Rule 13
“Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”
The pattern in this case is target-selection, not random mischief: a single named congregation on Merriman Road had its van spray-painted with racial slurs first, then nearby properties were hit, then a vacant house directly across from the church was broken into and burned. One body was picked out, marked, and made the visible center of the incident — and the sheriff's account has an adult supplying a lighter and instructions to two juveniles, which is deliberate escalation against that one address. Whatever the motive proves to be in court, the practical effect on a small congregation is isolation: they are the ones with a defaced van and a burned shell across the street.
Counter-Rule 13 · Radical Solidarity
Stand publicly with whoever has been singled out. Isolation is the whole mechanism; refusing it disarms the tactic.
Refuse the isolation concretely this month. If you are within driving distance, attend a Sunday service at Truth Temple Church of God and say plainly that you came because of what happened; if you are not, have your own leadership send a signed letter to that congregation and offer to cover part of the cost of repainting the van or replacing a camera. Ask your board to put a short, factual statement in the bulletin naming the congregation that was hit rather than a general statement about vandalism — being named by neighbors is the exact reversal of being singled out alone.
Chapter 3 sets out the rules; Chapter 15 answers each of them in turn. This is that pairing applied to this story.
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