An LGBTQ flag was burned at an elementary faculty in California.
Police have stated the incident occurred forward of a Pride occasion and is at present being investigated as a hate crime.
According to NBC News, Los Angeles Unified School District stated somebody had damaged into Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood through the weekend that preceded 22 May and burned the flag.
On Wednesday, a deputy chief with the police division’s Valley Bureau, Alan Hamilton, stated the flag was set alight on the campus.
He added: “There was a small potted plant that was set on hearth on the campus and the plant had a small (4 x 6 inch) PRIDE flag contained in the potted plant container.
“Both the plant and the flag were destroyed by the fire.”
“There are no suspects in custody at this time,” Mr Hamilton stated.
According to the college, police shall be offering extra patrols across the campus because the incident stays the topic of an “active investigation”.
‘Treat one another with respect’
On 22 May, the college district shared a message reminding households to report any “suspicious activity” on the college grounds.
The message stated: “We experienced a break-in over the weekend at Saticoy Elementary that resulted in vandalism and is being investigated as a hate-motivated incident.
“We are cooperating with legislation enforcement. This is a reminder that we depend on our whole faculty group to maintain our faculty protected and safe by reporting any suspicious exercise on campus after hours. If you see one thing, say one thing.”
It said that they are “dedicated” to creating a “protected and inclusive studying setting that embraces the variety of the communities we serve”.
The district stated it continues to encourage “everyone in our school communities to treat each other with respect, kindness and compassion so that our students can be empowered to achieve their greatest potential”.
Renato Lira, the director of the San Fernando Valley LGBTQ Center, stated a Pride Day meeting on the faculty is scheduled for Friday and that the organisation is working with the college and police to ensure college students keep protected.
Mr Lira added: “We are really concerned. We wanted to make sure the kids are safe during the time they’re inside the school. We are working on this around the clock.
“We are maintaining a tally of social, even speaking with the college district and the LAPD. We have conferences every single day.”
NBC Los Angeles reported that some parents plan to keep their children at home on the day of the Pride event.
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An Instagram account by the name of Saticoy Elementary Parents has been created to protest the Pride event.
The account was created after parents saw a rainbow parade assembly noted on the school calendar.
In a recent post, the account said its reason for protesting was to “protest towards Pride Day meeting, an inappropriate matter for our children!”.
According to a new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, one out of 10 violent victimisations against LGBTQ people are hate crimes.
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LGBTQ people are nine times more likely than non-LGBTQ people to be victims of violent hate crimes.
After looking at data between 2017 to 2019, lead author Andrew R. Flores, Affiliated Scholar at the Williams Institute, said: “The rise of maximum anti-LGBT rhetoric and behaviours might embolden people to hold out hate crimes towards LGBT folks, so it will likely be necessary to trace how our findings might change after 2019.
“It is vital that law enforcement and anti-violence programs are trained and prepared to effectively serve the unique needs of LGBT victims.”
Source: information.sky.com”