Pride flags on Shakespeare Bridge in Franklin Hills vandalized

Residents in Franklin Hills are searching for answers after two Pride flags that they hung up on the Shakespeare Bridge were torn and taken. 

"Somebody just cut probably two-thirds of the way off, looks like they used a pair of scissors or something and just destroyed it," said Rick Larocca, Franklin Hills Residents Association Secretary. 

It's become a tradition for residents to decorate the bridge with flags to celebrate holidays and special occasions. They recently put up an American flag and a Juneteenth flag, however, the pair were left alone. Only the Pride flags have been vandalized and stolen so far. 

"It's frustrating. It's disappointing," said Larocca.

He added that neighbors told him they saw a couple of possible suspects vandalizing the banners.

"A neighbor saw the two people that were doing it and they ran off," said Larocca. "We just got some information from a plumber who was working around 1 a.m. the other night and he saw two people on bicycles trying to tear down the flags."

Many residents hope police will track down the people responsible and put at an end to the vandalism.

"I feel like we're always supportive of different diverse populations here, this, it hurts that it exists right now," said resident Valerie Fishbain.

June is Pride month which commemorates the civil rights struggles the LGBTQ+ community underwent throughout history. The first Pride marches started after the Stonewall Uprising, which happened after a police raid at a New York gay bar in 1969.

Members of the community said that they've experienced pushback in the past years with violence against transgender people spiking and most notably the Pulse shooting in 2016.