Police are investigating 16 reports of damaged Pride flags outside homes in two St. Paul neighborhoods, along with another report of vandalism at a nearby bookstore.
The incidents appear to have happened in the overnight hours, and St. Paul police are asking residents in the Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods to review their surveillance camera footage.
Police received one report of a damaged flag on Sunday, followed by two on Monday and 13 on Tuesday, according to Nikki Muehlhausen, a police spokeswoman.
Officers were driving by Half Price Books, 2041 Ford Pkwy., at 2:15 a.m. Tuesday when they saw two smashed storefront windows and the word “groomers” spray painted on the building, Muehlhausen said. No other details were provided on whether the bookstore damage was related to the flag vandalism.
Anyone with information about the vandalism was asked to contact Sgt. Chuck Graupman at Charles.graupman@ci.stpaul.mn.us or 651-266-5512.
The Twin Cities Pride festival will be held this weekend at Loring Park in Minneapolis. June is celebrated as Pride Month across the United States.
Earlier this week, Atlanta police said three men and a juvenile could face hate crimes charges after they pulled down LGBTQ+ Pride flags and cut them up at an intersection in the city’s Midtown neighborhood.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
