"I am once again directing the State Police Hate Crimes Unit to assist the NYPD with its investigation and hold those responsible accountable to the fullest extent of the law. "This act of hate is repugnant to our values of equality and inclusion, and we will not stand by and allow these cowardly acts to continue in New York," he said in a statement.
![pic of gay flag on fire pic of gay flag on fire](https://www.advocate.com/sites/advocate.com/files/2015/07/01/Burning-Rainbow-Flag-x400.jpg)
The arrest came just a day after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he asked state authorities to open a hate crime investigation over the incident outside of Alibi Lounge, the only gay bar in the neighborhood around 139th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. He did not release any details about the suspect in custody. "Your calls to and the efforts of our detectives have led to the identification and apprehension of the individual who burned the pride flag," Shea tweeted Tuesday along with an image of a man at the scene of the crime. NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said officers made the arrest thanks to tips from the community. The total of reported hate crimes were listed at 184 on June 2, when the city released its most-recent monthly crime report.Police said they apprehended a suspect on Tuesday evening who allegedly set fire to a rainbow flag outside of a Harlem gay bar. A 48% increase from the same period last year, as overall crime decreases. The department said it had recorded 220 reported hate crimes year-to-date. As long as you own the flag (or you have the owners permission), you arent causing a breach of the peace or risking setting fire to any other property.
![pic of gay flag on fire pic of gay flag on fire](https://images.foxtv.com/static.ktvu.com/www.ktvu.com/content/uploads/2019/09/1280/720/gilbert20baker_1490999602186_3014551_ver1.0.jpg)
Hate crime is on the rise in the cityįurthermore, the incident comes as the city battles with a spike in hate crimes.Anti-LGBTI crimes jumped 20% from a year ago as of 2 June, the NYPD said at a press conference earlier this week. UPDATED: Tue., J1 of 2 This boat caught fire on Moses Lake after the occupants reportedly harassed another boat that was flying a gay pride flag on Memorial Day. On 31 May, the suspect leant down and lit the flag – which was acting as a red carpet rope – to the dismay of bar owners and locals. Moreover, the incident came just five weeks after surveillance cameras caught a man lighting two rainbow flags on fire at the club. ‘Your calls to and the efforts of our detectives have led to the identification and apprehension of the individual who burned the pride flag,’ Shea tweeted on Tuesday.Īlthough he did not release any details about the suspect in custody, he did tweet a screenshot image of the suspect.įew minutes ago, someone set our rainbow flags on fire! To the homophobic coward, we will make our mission to find you! It’s #pridemonth motherfucker! #pride #lgbtpride #gaybar #gaybarnyc #Harlem #gayharlem #gayinstagram ?️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??️??☠️Ī post shared by Alibi Lounge on at 9:50pm PDT Your calls to and the efforts of our detectives have led to the identification and apprehension of the individual who burned the pride flag.
![pic of gay flag on fire pic of gay flag on fire](https://gdb.rferl.org/FBF35573-427F-4B67-B79C-6DE18B5BC0AA_w1024_s_q10_s.jpg)
With Minko documenting the two incidents on the club’s Instagram and CCTV catching the suspect, New York governor Andrew Cuomo quickly assigned the Hate Crime task force to investigate.īut just a day after this, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said officers made the arrest thanks to tips from the community. One has to wonder if there’s a kind of message they’re trying to send.’ ‘One was at the beginning of Pride and one was right at the end. ‘I have to say that what I find odd was the timing of both events,’ he told NBC. Sad to report that few weeks after the first incident, someone has once again set our pride flags on fire! We simply have no words! #Harlem #gaybar #pride #gaypride #nycpride #worldpride ?️??️??️????Ī post shared by Alibi Lounge on at 10:15pm PDT