Stonewall National Monument's Pride Flags Vandalized For Second Year In A Row
In a repeat of damage during Pride Month last year, multiple Pride flags at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City were vandalized this week, police reported.
The New York Police Department received a report Friday morning that flags were removed from Christopher Park, part of the Stonewall National Monument, a spokesperson at the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (DCPI) told HuffPost in an email.
A preliminary investigation had found that an unidentified person had removed and destroyed flags at the site Thursday night and fled, the DCPI said. No injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made, the spokesperson confirmed, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
In a post on the X social media platform on Friday evening, New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher shared photos of the vandalism at the Stonewall National Monument, which is the first national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history.
The photos show Pride flags thrown on the ground and damaged. Some scraps of Pride flags that had been burned were scattered along the sidewalk, and several flags that usually line the perimeter of the monument were missing.
Last night, bigots vandalized the Stonewall National Monument, snapping flag sticks & stealing 3/4 of the flags around the permitter of the park. Also, someone burned Pride decorations at 22nd St. in Chelsea. Anyone who thinks this will intimidate our community is badly mistaken. pic.twitter.com/x6K033UXBL
— Erik Bottcher (@ebottcher) June 14, 2024
New York Mayor Eric Adams condemned the vandalism in a post Friday night on X, saying that “hate has no place in our city, and nothing will change that.”
“We love the LGBTQ+ community and celebrate them during Pride and all year round. We’ll always have your back, and we will bring whoever defaced the Stonewall monument to justice,” Adams said.
Last year, Pride flags at the Stonewall National Monument were vandalized three times in June, which is LGBTQ Pride Month. According to NBC News, there have been a slew of attacks on Pride flags and Pride symbols across the country over the past few weeks.
