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$8,000 Stolen From New Beginnings Church In Break-In

CHICAGO (CBS) —One of Bruce Rauner's biggest backers in the African American Community says he's being threatened for supporting the Republican.

CBS 2 's Roseanne Tellez reports that at New Beginnings Church, members swept up broken glass after someone broke in the back door late Friday or early today.

Inside, they smashed this collection box, making off with an estimated $8,000, leaving only coins behind.

Pastor Corey Brooks got the call early and says the money was to be used for a new community center.

Pastor Brooks questions the timing of the break in, a day after he received threatening phone calls he says were linked to his support for Republican candidate for Governor Bruce Rauner.

Brooks says the threats contained derogatory slurs as well as death threats to himself and Rauner. He thinks the break-in and the calls, five in all, are connected.

"For our church to get broken into all of a sudden to me speaks volumes," Brooks said.

Brooks says he can deal with people having different political views... but not when they threaten him

"Once you threaten my family, or my church, or people I am associated with, I take that very seriously," Brooks said.

Pastor Brooks says he has temporarily moved out of his house as police investigate and try to trace the threatening phone calls.

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