BOISE, Idaho — After the Boise Police Department found 35 Pride flags on Harrison Boulevard were stolen or damaged Thursday, an anonymous donor stepped up to support the Boise Pride Festival's annual tradition.
The donor provided enough funding to cover the total cost of replacing the flags, which were stolen or damaged less than one week after Boise Pride volunteers put them up.
On Saturday, the community came together for a 'Pride Flag Rally & Replacement' event.
The event was organized by the North End Neighborhood Association and the Boise Pride Festival. Neighbors and friends gathered to ensure each pole on Harrison Boulevard once again had a flag.
In a press release Thursday, Boise Police said officers contacted each home on Harrison Boulevard - between West Ada Street and West Bella Street - about the incident. Neighbors are reviewing footage from their surveillance cameras.
"The Boise Police department is directing a number of resources to investigate this crime and detectives are working to identify those responsible and hold them accountable," Boise Police Deputy Chief, Tammany Brooks said. "Our officers will not tolerate any crime that targets or makes someone feel targeted because of who they are or who they choose to love."
In June of 2021, 25 of the 29 Pride flags on Harrison Boulevard were also stolen or destroyed. The Liberating Spirit Metropolitan Community Church donated flags and the North End Neighborhood Association donated metal dowels to hold them in place following last year's vandalism.
For questions on reporting crimes involving the LGBTQ+ community, email BPD's LGBTQ+ Liaison Officer, Dan Lister, at dlister@cityofboise.org. For immediate assistance, call 911.
The incident is still under investigation by the Boise Police Department. Officers are asking for information or video of the incident from the public.
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