Community stitches Pride banners back together after unknown vandal slashed 14 of them

Police in Poulsbo, Washington, are beginning an investigation after an individual vandalized Pride banners hung up along Front Street, the main downtown commercial street in Pouslbo, reports King 5 Seattle.

At around 3:45 a.m. on June 1, an individual was caught on camera wielding a sharp object walking near the banners flown in the town of 12,000 across the Puget Sound from Seattle. The next morning, most of the 14 flags were slashed.

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However, thanks to the kindness of a community member, the flags have been stitched back together with pink yarn, not covering up the damage but still allowing the flags to fly.

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“I see them now as a sign of healing. They represent, unfortunately, the violence against the LGBTQ community, but also the healing that can come out of this sort of harassment,” said a woman interviewed by King 5 News.

Poulsbo Pride is responsible for the banners; the organization is only in its second year. In a statement, Poulsbo Pride said, “It is with great sadness that we received the report of the vandalized pride banners in downtown Poulsbo just one day after dozens of us gathered to celebrate the flying of Pride flags over City Hall.”

“This act of violence against our community underscores the need for Pride. Pride is not just time for celebration, it’s also a time to raise awareness of issues we might experience being part of the LGBTQIA+. It shines a light on the unique challenges we might face so that we can support each other better. We will not be deterred, we will continue to celebrate the beauty and diversity of our community.”

Poulsbo Police posted on Facebook that the culprit “appears to be a tall person wearing a green jacket, a baseball cap, full-face covering, black gloves and what seems to be a long white pole with a cutting instrument attached.” They also said that due to the cost of the damages, the vandalization may be upgraded to a felony.

Since the banners were vandalized, a GoFundMe account was created to support Poulsbo Pride’s inclusive initiatives. In is now almost $700 dollars over it’s total goal of $5,000. The funds will go to support Pouslbo’s Pride in the Park festival.

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