SALT LAKE CITY — Officials are looking for tips as they investigate multiple LGBTQIA+ Pride flags being cut down and burned throughout Salt Lake City.
Just after 8 a.m. on Monday, a homeowner in the area of 850 S. Washington Street reported their Pride flag had been cut down and burned, Salt Lake Police reported.
While responding, officers learned that at least four other Pride flags in the area had been vandalized.
Photos show Pride flags cut off homes and pieces of charred flag burned on the sidewalk.
As the investigation ensued, officers determined the vandalism likely happened between 1 and 1:30 a.m.
Officials are asking those in the area to check their home surveillance footage and doorbell cameras to see if there are any clues that could help as the search for a suspect is underway.
"The Salt Lake City Police Department recognizes our responsibility to investigate hate crimes thoroughly and impartially to hold offenders accountable and ensure justice for survivors," police wrote in a statement. "The Salt Lake City Police Department educates its officers and works with our community to recognize, and condemn, hate crimes and works to prevent them from occurring in the future."
Joseph Leyba and four of his neighbors who live near Harvey Milk Blvd. woke up Tuesday morning to find their pride flags cut from their homes and in ashes on the sidewalk.
"I was at a loss for emotions and feelings because it was, it was sort of shocking that this happened," said Leyba.
With nearby queer-owned bars and restaurants, the area is known as Salt Lake City’s unofficial LGBTQ+ district, he said.
"Harvey Milk was a gay rights icon that was assassinated in San Francisco for trying to bring awareness and inclusiveness to the gay community," said Leyba. "It's shocking to me that that would happen in this area."
Within hours of discovering the damage, someone came along and brought the colors back to the neighborhood.
"A woman came by, who I've never met, and she had Pride flags in her hands, and she was setting them on the front porches of all the individuals that had been affected," said Leyba.
Officers are asking anyone living in the area to check home surveillance or doorbell cameras to see if they captured the suspect.
"Any time we have a hate crime or a bias incident, we are going to devote all of our resources to it," said Brent Weisberg, spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Police Department. "We want to find out who this person is and to hold them responsible for their actions. We know that Salt Lake City is a safe, it's a welcoming community. We want that to continue to be the message and what happened early this morning is not acceptable here in Salt Lake City."
If you have any information that may be helpful in the investigation, call 801-799-3000.
