Almost 40 Pride Flags were vandalized and 36 flagpoles damaged in the early morning on Thursday in the North End neighborhood of Boise.
In a statement, Boise Police said this is the third time this month rainbow flags were damaged and stolen from Harrison Boulevard. Investigators said the large LGBTQ+ flags in the median were torn from flagpoles and damaged or stolen.
North End resident Jamie Nugent woke up this morning with a ripped flag thrown over her car. She hopes new ones will be put up soon.
“That's all we can do. We don't need to lash out. We don't need to meet hate with hate. We just continue replacing the flags,” she said. “You might not be able to change their mind, but the way that you respond is the only thing that you're in control over. And you just have to. Unfortunately, it's really hard. Love them and move forward.“
Boise Pride Festival puts up the flags for LGBTQ+ Pride Month and they’re donated by the Liberating Spirit Metropolitan Community Church. The median where the flags are flown is managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation and the light pole brackets holding them are provided by the city.
Nugent says she wants her two young daughters to know they can grow up loving whoever they want. Her family also has their own Pride flag hanging outside their house.
“We fly this flag just to let everyone know, you know, shout it from the rooftops. What we stand for and what we believe and who we love. And we're choosing to love everyone,” she said.
“It makes us sad that this is happening here in our neighborhood.”
Similar vandalism occurred during Pride Month in 2022 and 2023.
