For eight years, Steven Menendez has volunteered putting up pride flags around the fence at the Stonewall National Monument.
“I come each day to just check on the flags and make sure if there are any missing that they get replaced,” Menendez said.
For the last two years, the flags around the park have been destroyed. Friday morning, Menendez found more than 150 flags ripped off the fence and broken. He estimates about three-quarters of the flags were destroyed.
What You Need To Know
- Steven Menendez, who volunteers at the Stonewall National Monument, found more than 150 flags ripped off the fence and broken on Friday morning
- In a separate incident, Pride flags were also burned in Chelsea
- By Friday afternoon, the flags were back up
- Menendez is calling for a police presence at the park for the last two weeks of Pride Month
“It’s very upsetting that somebody has so much anger and hate with them where they have to destroy flags,” Menendez said.
“It also happened last year, but it just made such an impact this year — it’s sad, it’s really sad,” volunteer Jamila Dphrepaulezz said.
By Friday afternoon, the flags were back up. Volunteers assembled to replace hate with love and anger with pride. Police are now looking for those responsible.
“It’s infuriating someone would target our community in this place, during this month, at the Stonewall Inn,” Couniclmember Erik Bottcher said.
Bottcher said moments after he received texts about the flags being destroyed, he received messages about a second incident.
“Minutes later, I got another text message from residents on 21st Street who told me that flags in their neighborhood were burned,” Bottcher said.
Bottcher said the flags were put up by neighborhood associations in Chelsea to decorate the area for Pride.
“If their goal was to scare us, they failed and failed badly. Because this kind of thing only strengthens our resolve,” Bottcher said.
Menendez said he’ll keep replacing the flags if he has to. He said his resolve comes from his uncle, who died from AIDS. His uncle brought Menendez to the Stonewall Inn for the first time, a bar that launched the gay rights movement — across the street from the monument.
“These flags represent many things. They are honoring all of the activists that fought for our rights,” Menendez said. “It’s also giving hope to the young people. Tears start rolling down their eyes and I realize how meaningful this space is for them.”
Menendez is calling for a police presence at the park for the last two weeks of Pride Month to protect the flags.