Tacoma Police investigating several pride flag thefts as hate crimes

Tacoma investigating Pride flag thefts as hate crimes

Tacoma police say they are investigating reports of people stealing Pride flags as hate crimes.

TACOMA, Wash. - Tacoma Police are investigating several thefts of pride flags over the last weekend, which they are classifying as a crime of hate.

Authorities say flags were stolen from several homes around the city the weekend of June 10.

"Any time there’s a hate motivation, it’s a concern," said Officer Shelbie Boyd with Tacoma Police Department.

Given the nature of the thefts and ‘suspected motivations’ of the offender, or offenders, Tacoma Police are investigating the crimes of hate as malicious harassment.

"If people are going to be this bold to go and commit these crimes against residents, who knows what the next step is going to be," said Boyd. "We’re not going to stand for it and we’re going to investigate these crimes."

Nine pride flags were stolen beginning on June 8 in neighborhoods throughout north Tacoma. It is not yet known if there are multiple suspects.

"The Tacoma Police Department stands with and has a deep commitment to our LGBTQIA+ community and all communities that are victims of hate," read a statement from the police department. "Hate has no place in the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Police Department will do their best to ensure these perpetrators are brought to justice."

The department is partnering with Rainbow Center in Tacoma to address the issue.

"We're a resource for the community members who may not feel comfortable going to Tacoma Police with the information. They have another partner that they can reach out to and say hey, I have information about this," said Quincy Tyson, executive director of Rainbow Center.

As detectives investigate each case, managers at Rainbow Center say these crimes of hate prove that more advocacy and education is necessary.

"I really do believe that most of the lack of support is coming from a lack of understanding. So, a big piece of my job is demystifying things, providing the proper information," said Charlie Best, education manager at Rainbow Center.

Advocates say the issue of stealing pride flags is not exclusive to Tacoma. In South Jordan, Utah, surveillance video shows a thief snatching a pride flag from a home on June 8. In Omaha, Nebraska, thieves were caught on camera twice stealing flags, and burning them on April 15 and June 2.

"A lot of the hate crimes that go against the queer community aren’t documented because they’re not reported because there hasn’t been a lot of traction with police departments in the past. So, we’re trying to move forward to be able to have a method to report this information so that way it can be documented, it can be tracked and our voices are heard," said Tyson.

"We’re going to see that always. There’s always people that don’t understand and don’t support. But that’s not the majority. There’s not room for that here in Tacoma," said Best.

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Anyone who had their flags stolen is urged to call 911 or the Tacoma Police non-emergency line at (253) 287-4455. You can also submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or contact the Rainbow Center at info@rainbowcntr.org.