Pride flag removed from Tempe City Hall and burned

The Tempe Police Department is investigating a possible hate crime after the Pride flag that hung outside of the Tempe City Hall building was removed and burned.

The flag, raised at various city facilities across Tempe, included the logo of the city to commemorate the LGBTQ+ community and Pride Month.

According to a representative with Tempe, the Pride flag was replaced and the flagpole that was damaged was repaired. An investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by the Tempe Police Department.

“This act of aggression does not represent our community. Hate has no place in Tempe. We are committed to championing diversity, inclusion, and equity and ensuring that our community is safe and welcoming for

everyone,” City Manager Andrew Ching said in an emailed statement.

The Pride flag was joined by the American flag, the Arizona flag and a Juneteenth flag, but none of those flags were damaged. Tempe Mayor Corey Woods condemned the vandalism and pledged his support to the LGBTQ+ community.

“We will not stand by while someone tries to threaten, bully and intimidate members of our community. We will continue our efforts to make our city stronger, even more welcoming, and even more inclusive. We support our LGBTQ+ community. We stand as one with them,” Woods said in an emailed statement.

According to Jeremy Helfgot, spokesperson for Phoenix Pride, the organization was appalled and disheartened by the situation. “The fact that this occurred in the city of Tempe is incredibly disheartening and alarming. Tempe as a city has been an incredible ally to the LGBTQ+ community,” Helfgot said.

This isn’t the first incident reported against the LGBTQ+ community in Tempe. In February, a drag story hour had to be temporarily halted due to a reported bomb threat targeting Brick Road Coffee, a local LGBTQ+ friendly coffee shop.

Bills targeting LGBTQ+ people, and in particular the trans community, were introduced almost from the start of this year’s legislative session across the U.S. In Arizona in particular, legislators have targeted everything from personal pronouns and who uses what restroom, to public drag shows and the banning of books.

An investigation of the flag burning was underway and Tempe police were “exploring all avenues,” the department said in a tweet, which also urged the public’s help in providing information about the incident.

Anyone with information regarding the incident was asked to contact Tempe police at 480-350-8311.