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<\/p>\nSan Luis Obispo Mayor\u2019s Pride Flag Burned in Suspected Hate Crime<\/b><\/p>\n
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San Luis Obispo mayor Heidi Harmon reported that the\u00a0pride flag she had\u00a0hung in front of her home<\/a> had been discovered burned overnight Thursday.<\/p>\n In remarks she gave on Friday,\u00a0Harmon explained the circumstances, according to local newspaper The Tribune<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I left my home in the morning, I saw something right in front of my house,\u201d Harmon said in an interview Friday. \u201cSomeone had taken my rainbow flag and burned it.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the flag, a yard sign containing what Harmon said was a \u201csuper positive\u201d message was cut up, possibly with a knife, she said.<\/p>\n San Luis Obispo Police Chief Deanna Cantrell said the incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime, and it will be reported to the U.S. Department of Justice as required by law.<\/p>\n Harmon said she didn\u2019t want to overreact but that it\u2019s important to take incidents like this seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not that dissimilar to burning a cross on someone\u2019s yard,\u201d Harmon said. She said somebody went to the effort to \u201cmeticulously burn a symbol of civil rights.\u201d<\/p>\n The disturbing incident led Harmon to cancel a press conference in which she intended to clarify the California\u00a0city\u2019s response against the Trump administration\u2019s move to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement<\/a>. She also said it came in the wake of her city\u2019s recent ordinance declaring itself\u00a0\u201ca welcoming and inclusive city.\u201d<\/p>\n The post San Luis Obispo Mayor\u2019s Pride Flag Burned in Suspected Hate Crime<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n