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About 75 people gathered Friday at a Hispanic business vandalized last weekend to express support for people of all races living in Blount County.

Either late Saturday, May 7, or early Sunday, May 8, vandals did an estimated $17,240 in damage to La Lupita. The business is a Mexican store and restaurant, located at 2700 E. Broadway Ave., Maryville.

The Eagleton Village store had its windows broken and cracked, cooler refrigeration unit broken, spoiling all the meat and produce, and swastikas, SS symbols representing Hitler's army and WP (white power) painted on the building.

La Lupita is owned by Joaquin Gonzalez of Lenoir City.

Leaders in the community voiced support for the Latino owners and urged people to patronize the business.

"We are disappointed," said Father Alex Waraksa of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church. "Since the Cherokee first encountered immigrants, new people have been immigrating to this area."

He said they come to America and Tennessee for a better life. "There is value in diversity and strength in unity," Waraksa said.

He backed his position up with two quotes from the Bible: "`You shall not oppress the immigrants,"' and, "`You must befriend the aliens because you yourself were once aliens in the land of Egypt.'

"We all belong to the family of mankind with the same rights. These people bring a rich diversity and culture from their first culture."

Brandon Cook, chairman of the Blount County Democratic Party, said, "We're all neighbors here. We can work side to side together, no matter what culture we come from. Hate clearly knows no geographical boundary."

He urged the community to unite, fight hate, support victims, seek advice, create hate-free zones at churches and unity rallies and create a bias-response team for the community to teach tolerance.

Elizabeth Perez-Reilly of the American Association of University Women said the Maryville chapter of that organization "deplores the recent act of vandalism."

"We value diversity for the culture and talent. This was an outgrowth of hatred and ignorance and in no way represents the people of Blount County," she said.

Steve Musick, vice moderator of the Blount County Ecumenical Council, said: "The world is growing ever smaller. It is God's world.

"God is our creator and he urged us to love our neighbors. Jesus constantly crossed boundaries to find another culture," he said.

"I know this is not the only Latino business scarred by racial slurs recently. I condemn these acts of fear and hatred and encourage the community to trade with this business," he said.

Musick said he knows there are school children who are made to feel less than they are because of the color of their skin.

The recent racial tensions at William Blount High School between black and white students was brought up at the press conference.

Tomas Mares of the Alianza Pueblo, an alliance for people trying to help Latinos, was born in Texas and served as a deputy in one of the counties in that state that border Mexico.

He said there are people literally dying to cross the border into America.

"You don't know how lucky and privileged you are to live in the U.S.," he told the group. "There are more immigrants than natives that believe hard work and determination are the keys to success.

"Immigrants permeate the fabric of America. Christopher Columbus himself was an immigrant," Mares said.

"These people woke up Sunday morning to disappointment, terror and heartbreak at this attempt to destroy their search for the American dream," he said.

"They are touched by your heartfelt outreach for their store," he said.

A Blount resident, Wendy Pitts Reeves, said that "out of this tragedy comes hope as people come to this store to shop."

When questioned after the press conference, La Lupita owner Gonzalez said his business is "getting more clients."