Montclair to hold rally and replace stolen Pride flag
A Pride flag taken from a municipal flagpole in Montclair will be replaced during a rally scheduled for Monday.
The Out Montclair organization called for the flag-raising and rally beginning 5:30 p.m. at the corner of Church Street and Bloomfield Avenue after the flag, which was raised during a Pride Month ceremony on June 7, was reported missing on June 14.
Police are investigating the incident that Out Montclair sees as an affront to the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month.
"Out Montclair condemns in the strongest terms the theft of the Pride flag that was prominently displayed on the municipal flagpole," a statement from the group reads. "This hateful act of intolerance has no place in our community."
The statement explains the importance of the flag and having it fly on a municipal flagpole in Montclair while many other towns in North Jersey have resisted doing so.
"The Pride flag is a symbol of inclusion, welcome, safety, and the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and equality," the group statement reads. "Its colors represent the vibrant diversity of identities and backgrounds, and the unifying values of acceptance that Montclair prides itself on. To see it removed and stolen is not only disheartening but an attack on the entire LGBTQ+ community and our allies who steadfastly support us."
Mayor Sean Spiller was among the many town officials who attended the June 7 flag-raising in Montclair. So was state Sen. John McKeon (District 27) and other members of the New Jersey Legislature.
Out Montclair is hoping for a similar show of support at the rally on Monday.
"We refuse to let this hateful act diminish our pride or silence our voices," their statement reads. "In the face of intolerance, we will respond by uplifting LGBTQ+ visibility and amplifying the values of acceptance, equality, and respect for all. Hatred and prejudice have no place in Montclair."
Flags banned in some towns
Some other towns, including Boonton and Dover, have passed sweeping ordinances limiting the types of flags that can be raised on municipal properties. Those ordinances have drawn criticism from LGBTQ+ groups in those towns who feel the restrictions are based on bias against the LGBTQ+ community.
Elsewhere in North Jersey, Pride flags have been reported stolen or vandalized, including a Madison man who was arrested after he was seen on video ripping six Pride flags from a downtown display.
"We take this act very seriously, and this type of behavior has no place in Madison or anywhere else," Madison Police Chief John Miscia said in the department's statement.
The Boonton Rainbow Pride organization also reported Pride flag designs drawn on downtown sidewalks protesting the flag ban there had been vandalized. One was quickly redrawn with the added words, "We're still here!."
Phone tips to police
Anyone with information about the Montclair Pride flag theft is asked to contact Montclair Police Detective Jamar Jones at 973-509-4705."We thank the Montclair Police Department for their swift response and investigation into this bias incident," Out Montclair promised. "[We] will work closely with law enforcement to ensure the perpetrators are identified and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Montclair NJ to rally and replace stolen Pride flag
