Overwhelmingly, an enormous sense of love, strength and community pervades Pride events this year. Nevertheless, Pride-related hate crimes are catching the attention of the national media; if there’s any good news in this, it’s that many of these stories are aimed at promoting tolerance, acceptance and respect.
USA Today reported this morning on a rainbow flag burning in Burlington, Vermont, this past weekend, and an act of goodwill by the city’s deputy police chief toward the gay couple who’s flag got scorched:
Scorch marks and the melted plastic remnants of a Vermont couple’s Pride Flag cling to the banister of their home, almost a week after it was burned in what police are calling a hate crime.
The apparent arson took place on June 1—the first day of Pride Month.
Just a few days later, Burlington Deputy Police Chief Jon Murad visited Christopher Vaccaro and Jimmie Searle at their Burlington home with a Pride Flag to replace the couple’s own.
Tucked into the new flag was a handwritten card from Police Chief Brandon del Pozo. He wrote about Stonewall, the 1969 riots against police violence in Manhattan, and the historical oppression of the LGBTQ+ community by police.
“That was a really touching thing,” said Vaccaro of the Burlington Police Department’s gesture. “Actually, we both started to get a little teary-eyed.” …
“We were really scared,” Vaccaro said. “We were so troubled by the fact that we could have been there and someone could have gotten hurt or the house could have gone up in flames and so we started panicking.” …
This incident comes amid a slew of Pride flag burnings and other hate-fueled crimes in New York City and reflects a broader trend of increased hate crimes nationwide.
“Identity-related crimes have a ripple effect,” said Skylar Wolfe, director of the SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program at the Vermont Pride Center. “When one of us is hurt out of hate due to our identities, many others experience fear, pain and feelings of isolation.”
Vermont officials are well aware of the disturbing trends.
“There’s no question that nationally, cities, towns and states are receiving more reports and are connecting more investigations of reported hate crimes,” said Julio Thompson, assistant to the Vermont attorney general.
“If we look at the numbers that have been publicly reported by the FBI in terms of voluntary reporting from law enforcement, we’ve seen a rise of reported hate crimes by law enforcement in Vermont over the last couple of years,” he said.
The flag-burning incident has proved sobering to a city police department seeking to support marginalized communities better.
“Hate crime is a terrible way to begin Pride Month. It shows that we still have a long way to go collectively,” said Murad, the Burlington deputy police chief. “But we have come a long way as well, and I think that our police response is indicative of that.” …
“June is a reminder to take that extra step at home, in the office, and with your friends to help make the world a little safer for LGBTQ+ people,” the Pride Center’s Wolfe said. “Pride should be a reminder that our actions matter—not just in June—but year round and that LGBTQ+ people exist and are still experiencing harm.”
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