Sixty ribbons bearing the colors of the transgender pride flag were slashed and removed from light poles in the Village of Pittsford under the cover of night earlier this month.
A police report was filed, and now village officials are asking residents and business owners along Main Street to check their security cameras for possible footage of whoever is responsible.
“This was a deliberate and mean-spirited act that has no place in our community,” Pittsford Mayor Alysa Plummer wrote in a message to residents last week.
The ribbons were part of an awareness campaign by the local nonprofit, Pittsford CommUNITY. March 31 was International Transgender Day of Visibility. The group sought a village permit to display the ribbons as a symbol of inclusion, Tharaha Thavakumar said. She raised concerns about the vandalism at an April 14 board of trustees meeting.
“When symbols of support are torn down, the message sent is not just to one group, it is heard by every resident who has ever wondered if they truly belong here,” Thavakumar said. “It tells people that acceptance is fragile, that visibility can be targeted, and that some neighbors are still being told to make themselves smaller.”
Village officials said the act took place around 9 p.m. on April 2. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to questions about the investigation.
— Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on immigration, police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Transgender pride ribbons vandalized in Pittsford
Reporting by Kayla Canne, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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