Early Saturday morning, a man armed with a knife cut down the Pride flag hanging outside a couple's home in Anaheim, unleashing a slur meant to demean the LGBTQ+ community in the process.
The action, which targeted the home of Jake Nolan and his partner, Jon, was intended to send a message of hate and intolerance. The neighborhood sent a message of support and inclusion.
“We are not going to tolerate hate,” said Elia Rentería-García, who has lived in the historic neighborhood known as La Colonia for almost seven years.
When Nolan, 35, noticed that the flag he had raised a few days earlier was no longer flying, he thought the wind might have blown it down. But when he examined the flag, it looked as if someone had tried to cut it. He reviewed the footage from his doorbell camera and saw something he had never experienced while living in California.
Footage shows two dark figures walking along Water Street near their home on Dickel Street around 2am. One of the men heads straight for the flag and pulls out a knife as he walks toward the yard. He drags the knife down the center of the flag, using enough force to rip the pole from the house, as the video shows.
The man, who has not been identified, mutters a derogatory term for a gay man as he walks away. Although it's difficult to hear in the footage, the man appears to say “not in my neighborhood” as he continues down the street, Nolan said.
The Pride flag that was hanging outside Jake Nolan's house was cut with a knife and torn down.
(Courtesy of Jake Nolan)
Nolan said he was disappointed by the behavior, but brushed it off and quickly bought a new flag.
“We're not going to let this discourage us,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Anaheim Police Department confirmed that the agency received a report about the vandalism and is investigating. No suspects have been identified.
The incident is one of the latest examples of vandalism against Pride symbols across the country during a month meant to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. Orange County, in particular, has had issues with the symbol in recent years.
Last year, a majority of the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to ban flying the Pride flag on county property, calling it “divisive.” The vote followed a similar one in Huntington Beach that reversed a previous policy of flying the rainbow banner during Pride month. Last June, a teenager in Huntington Beach was arrested for allegedly tearing down a Pride flag.
In 2022, Laguna Beach residents were angered when rainbow flags were stolen from businesses during Pride month.
A report released last year by the Orange County Human Relations Commission noted a 126% increase in anti-LGBTQ+ activity in 2022 over the previous year. Vandalism was the most common crime reported.
When Nolan moved to the historic district six years ago, she was told the neighborhood was more than quaint Victorians and Craftsman homes. It's a place of community, he said. Neighbors gather to carve pumpkins every Halloween, eat pancakes for breakfast, eat Fourth of July potlucks, and clean up the neighborhood. When a neighbor fell ill recently, residents helped him by taking turns walking his dog.
The day he discovered the damaged flag, Nolan posted the surveillance video to the neighborhood Facebook group and wrote, “well… that happened. Last night around 2, someone tore our Pride flag and flagpole off the house. Lesson here, keep a backup.”
Rentería-García, 45, saw Nolan's post and responded by ordering 10 Pride flags, which she offered to neighbors to fly at their homes in a show of support. One by one, the neighbors knocked on her door looking for the rainbow banners. He has two left, he said Monday, and plans to order more.
“We want people to know the intent behind it: It's not right,” he said of the vandalism. “We need to make sure that the people who come here know that this is not something we are going to tolerate.”
Nolan quickly purchased a replacement flag. “We're not going to let this discourage us,” he said.
(Courtesy of Jake Nolan)
On Monday afternoon, banners, some reading “Everyone is welcome here,” were flying from several homes along Dickel Street. A new rainbow flag fluttered in the afternoon breeze outside Nolan's house.
The flag is more than a celebration of who he is. He described it as a symbol for all those who might be struggling to show who they are.
“I remember what it was like to not feel comfortable showing who I am,” he said. “Having the flag up is a way to let people know that you can be who you are. “You can prove it.”
He added: “This will not deter us.”
