File photo.

Late last Friday night, some discriminatory dickbag stole the Pride flag off the flagpole county courthouse flagpole. 

The rainbow-festooned standard flies outside Humboldt County facilities each June in recognition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month. 

In passing the Pride Month proclamation last year, the county Board of Supervisors defended “the rights of all citizens to experience equality and freedom from discrimination” and declared that the Pride flag “shall be raised annually throughout the month of June at County of Humboldt facilities.”

But bigots are gonna bigot, and one of ‘em apparently couldn’t abide the symbol of inclusivity.

In an opinion piece for the North Coast Journal this week, Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo observed that the vandal’s motives were clear: The theft “was meant to harm and disparage people.” Arroyo encouraged the public to “Speak up when people trivialize the importance of these symbols and the very identities of our fellow community members.”

In response to an emailed inquiry, Humboldt County Public Information Specialist Cati Gallardo sent the following statement:

The County of Humboldt is committed to supporting the visibility, safety, dignity and equality of 2SLGBTQIA+ people, as affirmed by the Board of Supervisors’ Pride Month Proclamation, unanimously approved on June 4. This proclamation acknowledges that the Pride flag shall be raised annually throughout June at county facilities, a practice started in 2022. Unfortunately, the flag was unlawfully removed from the courthouse last weekend.

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Here’s a press release from the Eureka Police Department, which is handling the investigation:

On June 14, 2024 at approximately 11:40 pm, the Pride flag that had been flying on the flag pole at the Humboldt County Courthouse in honor of Pride month was stolen. The theft was reported to the Eureka Police Department on June 18, 2024 and assigned to our Criminal Investigations Unit to investigate.

The investigation revealed the suspect took the flag from the flag pole and placed it in his vehicle prior to leaving the scene. This criminal act was captured on surveillance cameras located at the courthouse. With the assistance of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigators and their FLOCK camera system, the suspect vehicle was identified and a picture provided to our agency. Utilizing this information, a person of interest was identified.

On June 19, 2024, EPD Detectives and personnel responded to the suspect’s residence and conducted a probation search per their probation status. The stolen flag was not located during the search. The suspect was located a short time later at a different location and interviewed. During the interview the suspect admitted to stealing the flag. However, the suspect was not in possession of the flag and the flag’s current location is unknown.

An EPD Detective is authoring a warrant for the suspect’s arrest for theft and probation violation. We are dedicated to conducting thorough investigations, including those related to hate crimes that can significantly impact our community. According to California Law, a hate crime must involve the use of force, threats or the damaging, destroying or defacing of property. In this specific investigation, with the evidence that we have at this time, these elements were not present. If additional evidence is located or presented, it will be evaluated and used to charge additional offenses. The case will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for further review and issuance of a warrant for the suspect’s arrest.

EPD Chief Brian Stephens states, “It’s absolutely unacceptable for anyone to steal the pride flag or any symbol that represents inclusivity and equality. Such actions are not only disrespectful but also hurtful to those who identify with a particular group or in the incident the LGBTQ+ community. Pride flags and symbols are important expressions of identity and solidarity, and everyone should be able to display them without fear of theft or damage. There is no place in our community or our society for hate and disrespect to one another.”