The historic Stonewall Inn has been the scene of three different vandalism acts in the past eight days, all of which are being looked into by the NYPD.
Police spotted 33 Pride flags shattered and on the ground outside the LGBTQ bar and national monument in Greenwich Village on Sunday about 8 a.m. This was just the most recent occurrence, following last weekend’s severe vandalism of the Pride flag display at the inn, which, according to its designer Steven Love Menendez, was the first time in the display’s six-year existence that it had been vandalized.
Three boys who were passing by the monument on Saturday, June 10 at 3 a.m. allegedly destroyed many pride flags that were hung on a fence. Menendez claimed that day he discovered 50 to 60 flags missing, snapped off, and “just left hanging there and thrown down on the ground” out of the more than 250 displayed.
On Thursday at 1 p.m., several damaged Pride flags were also discovered in the area, according to police.
“I just hope that there can be more surveillance and at nighttime, better lighting around the park to keep this particular area, which is kind of the heart and soul of the LGBTQ movement, as safe as possible,” Menendez said Monday. “This neighborhood, especially during pride, should be well protected.”
The first incident is being looked into by the NYPD Hate Crime Task force, and the latter two have also been reported. Police have not officially said if the three crimes are related, and no one has been arrested as of yet.
