Pride Flags Torn Down And Vandalized Outside Stonewall Monument, NYPD Says

Topline

Dozens of flags celebrating the LGBTQ community at New York City’s Stonewall National Monument—the historic site of a 1969 uprising often considered a turning point for gay rights—were snapped and thrown on the ground over the weekend, an incident under investigation by a police hate crimes unit, following a years-long uptick in reported anti-LGBTQ crimes.

The Stonewall National Monument in Greenwich Village was vandalized over the weekend when people … [+] took pride flags off the fence and snapped them before throwing them to the ground. The NYPD is investigating it as a hate crime. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

The pride flags were decorating a fence at the Stonewall National Monument in Christopher Park across from the Stonewall Inn, and NBC New York reported about 60 had been ripped down and snapped around 3 a.m. on Saturday.

The New York Police Department told Forbes its Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident—police are also asking for help identifying a group of people caught on camera in connection with the vandalism, releasing a video that showed three individuals walking down the street, one of whom had a blurred face.

By Monday, all the flags that had been vandalized were replaced with new ones, NBC New York reported.

The vandalism comes less than two weeks into Pride Month, an international month-long celebration commemorating the Stonewall uprising and honoring gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer pride.

Chief Critic

New York City Council member Erik Bottcher, who is gay and represents the area of the city Stonewall is in, tweeted about the incident over the weekend saying, “If anyone thinks this is going to intimidate us or weaken our resolve, they’re mistaken.”

Key Background

The Stonewall Inn was the site of the Stonewall riots, or Stonewall uprising, in late June of 1969, when NYPD raided the private gay club in Greenwich Village, leading to days of protests in Christopher Park and other neighborhoods. The riots are widely recognized as a catalyst for the gay rights movement, and in 2016, the bar and the park became a national monument and the first unit of the National Park System dedicated to LGBTQ history.

Big Number

70%. That’s how much hate crimes against LGBTQ people grew from 2020 to 2021, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Tangent

There has also been an increase in legislation targeting members of the LGBTQ community this year, with more than a dozen states passing laws restricting gender-affirming care for transgender children.