CRIME
Vandal Removes, Stomps on Pride Flag in Queens
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the incident
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
An individual who was
riding a scooter with
a friend pulled up to
a home in Queens on
August 3 and tore down a Pride
Flag before stomping all over it and
taking off, according to surveillance
video footage released by the
NYPD.
Footage shows the alleged suspect
walking up to a home at 75-
14 190th Street in Fresh Meadows,
Queens and ripping the fl ag from
its awning. In the video, the suspect
steps all over the Rainbow Flag
while their friend appears to be recording
the incident on a device.
Moments later, the video shows
the suspect scurrying back to the
scooter and fl eeing the scene.
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task
Force is investigating the incident,
and no arrests have been made,
The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating a report of a Pride Flag that was removed from a
home in Queens.
police said. The NYPD said the
suspect did not have permission to
be on the property and charges of
criminal mischief could be forthcoming.
NYPD
This report comes amid a wave
of similar incidents targeting
Pride Flags. Earlier this month,
the Blacksburg Police Department
in Virginia said vandals tore down
a Rainbow Flag and replaced it
with a Confederate fl ag at Wesley
at Virginia Tech, a United Methodist
Ministry near the public university.
On August 4, Forbes reported
that a butcher shop with multiple
New York City locations came under
fi re after its CEO removed a
Pride Flag from several of the company’s
stores. While the CEO eventually
put the Flag back up, staffers
walked out in response to the
incident. During Pride Month, a
Rainbow Flag was also torn down
from a Black-owned LGBTQ barbershop
in Brooklyn.
In 2019, a 29-year-old was
busted and charged with criminal
mischief and arson after allegedly
torching Rainbow Flags multiple
times at Alibi Lounge, an LGBTQ
bar in Manhattan.
Pride Flags Replaced with Confederate Flags at VT
Virginia Tech says vandalism does not refl ect values of the school
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
The Blacksburg Police Department
in Virginia is
investigating reports of
Rainbow Flags that were
torn down and replaced with a Confederate
fl ag at Wesley at Virginia
Tech, a United Methodist Ministry
near the public university.
According to offi cials, suspects
removed the Pride Flags from outside
the building’s entrance on August
7 and instead put up Confederate
fl ags — a known symbol of
hate against communities of color,
LGBTQ people, and other marginalized
groups in the US. Wesley
at Virginia Tech has also been
exposed to a wave of similar anti-
LGBTQ incidents since they began
fl ying the fl ags. In a statement, the
ministry condemned the latest act
of vandalism as “malicious” and
“unacceptable.”
Authorities are investigating the removal of Pride Flags at Virginia Tech.
“Early this morning, Friday, August
7th, our pride fl ags were torn
from where they have fl own for
years,” wrote the ministry in a Facebook
post.“This has been an ongoing
REUTERS/CHRIS KEANE
issue, but today, they were replaced
with hateful Confederate fl ags.”
The university continued, “As always,
we strive to make Wesley a
safe and affi rming place for all people.
This hate crime goes against all
that we believe, and we want our
LGBTQ+ community to know that
we will always love, support, and
embrace you with open arms.”
Reverend Bret Gresham, a minister
at Wesley, told the Roanoke Times
that the fl ags had been removed
multiple times this month, though
Gresham said it’s unclear if the same
people are targeting the Pride Flags
or if there are new perpetrators.
“As a community, we’re about
forgiveness,” Gresham told the
Roanoke Times. “Just please don’t
do it again. Respect our building;
respect our students.”
No arrests have been made, but
authorities are investigating the
incident as “a crime of larceny and
intimidation,” reports the Roanoke
Times. The school also denounced
the removal of the Pride Flags, saying
it “does not refl ect who we are
at Virginia Tech.”
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