Dozens of Pride flags were snapped into pieces and thrown on the ground in a troubling act of vandalism during Pride Month at the Stonewall National Monument — a memorial that celebrates a key moment in the gay rights movement.
Neighbors in Manhattan's West Village discovered about 60 Pride flags torn down from the fence, broken apart and thrown on the sidewalk Saturday morning.
"I come almost daily to replace any missing flags on the fence. And then I witnessed the act of vandalism," said Steven Love-Menendez, who volunteers his time replacing the occasional lost flag since the area around Christopher Park and the famous bar became a national monument in 2016.
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But Love-Menendez said he's never seen damage at this level, though.
"This is the heart and soul of the LGBTQ movement. And this flag display is meant to show hope for the future and honor those who fought for our rights before us," he said.
On Monday, the NYPD released images of alleged suspects in the case. The group of men was seen in the area after the flags had been vandalized around 3 a.m. Saturday. They were last seen heading east on Waverly Place.
"It's just the latest attack on our community. The latest piece of aggression against our community. Right by The Stonewall. It hurts, it hurts badly," said NYC Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who added that the community will not be intimidated. "We are not going to be afraid. We are not going to be cowed. We are not going to let them do this to us during Pride month. And they will be held accountable for it."
While there were still some pieces of broken flags on the ground on Monday, each damaged flag had already been replaced with a new one.
The NYPD said that the Hate Crime Task Force is now investigating.
