Salt Lake City police are investigating after a series of pride flags in a local neighborhood were cut down from people’s homes and burned early Monday.
Officers were first called to a home near 850 S. Washington St. after a homeowner reported that their pride flag had been cut down and burned, police said.
Investigators have since determined that at least four other pride flags in the area were vandalized between 1 and 1:30 a.m. Monday.
Salt Lake City police are asking the public to help identify the person or people responsible. They also are asking anyone who lives in the area, near 300 West and 900 South, to check home surveillance or doorbell cameras to see if they documented the perpetrator.
Anyone with information about the situation may call Salt Lake City police at 801-799-3000.
“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,” police said in a news release. “The effects of a hate crime can be devastating and long-lasting for both the individual victim and the larger community.”
An offense is considered a hate crime if a victim is targeted for being a member of a protected class, including for their ancestry, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, national origin, race, religion or sexual orientation, Utah law states.
Authorities continue to investigate after pride flags were stolen across the Salt Lake Valley during Pride month, including in Salt Lake City, South Jordan, Millcreek and Holladay.
Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah, said in a statement via text message Monday that over the last month, thousands of Utahns have displayed pride flags to support the LGBTQ+ community.
“We are grateful for all of the love we have received from friends and family. That love will not be diminished by acts of vandalism,” Williams said. “Our community only grows stronger. We will never be intimidated. We are Utahns. We are Americans. We are here to stay.”
