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Pride display replaced after being tampered with twice

LOUISVILLE PRIDE FLAGS.jpg
Posted at 7:37 PM, Jun 07, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-08 00:13:39-04

LOUISVILLE, Colo. — For the second time in less than a week someone has tampered with a Pride display located near a busy Louisville intersection.

The second incident happened sometime over the weekend, and unlike the first incident, it doesn't appear nearby drivers saw the flags being stolen.

Last week, 74-year-old Fred Wilkins was issued a municipal citation for theft after several people witnessed him removing the flags from the display. One driver said a Confederate flag was also placed in an area where several of the Pride flags had been removed, but police could not confirm Wilkins was the one who placed the flag there.

"I mean, it’s certainly disappointing, but sometimes when you see something like this negative happen, it kind of reminds you why you need to do this," said Ashley Stolzmann, the mayor of Louisville.

Stolzmann joined Mardi Moore, the executive director of Out Boulder County, as they replaced the stolen flags for a second time on Monday afternoon.

"It’s a busy intersection, and it’s important for me that our youth, who may not be out to their family and who maybe are figuring out their own sexual orientation or gender identity, to see a symbol that lets them know they’re not alone, so I didn’t want to miss one kid driving past this intersection and not see a flag," Moore said.

Moore said another incident was reported to Out Boulder County over the weekend. She said a banner at the Twenty Ninth Street Mall was ripped and a flag was stolen. Her organization is working to order a new banner for the mall.

"We had survived so much as the LGBTQ community, destroying flags is the least of my worries," Moore said. "I see it as a way to spread the message there’s still more work to be done."

Out Boulder County is calling on residents and business owners to hang up Pride flags as a way to show support for the LGBTQ community after these hateful acts.