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San Francisco police have arrested a man accused of tainting the city’s groundbreaking Twin Peaks as well as the famous pink triangle, a symbol of LGBTQ+ rights set up annually during Pride Month.
Police arrested the suspect around 12:30pm Tuesday after reporting a portion of the dozens of pink canvas that make up the triangle, destroying parts.
“The officer chased the male suspect on foot and took him into custody,” the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. The suspect was identified as 19-year-old Leicester Bamacageronimo from San Francisco.
“Evidence of a vandalism tool has been found and seized. The charges are pending,” the statement said.
“This vandalism is unacceptable in our city and the San Francisco Police Department is condemning this law,” the police statement said. “The Pink Triangle in San Francisco is a powerful symbol of our city’s commitment to supporting LGBT rights and commemorates the victims of the past.”
Patrick Carney, founder of the Triangle Project, told Kron-TV that vandalism “switches back and forth between Triangle.
Kearney said the quick solution likely involves getting pink paint to hide vandalism. “But that’s a temporary fix and we’ll have to throw away those tarps,” Kearney told the news outlet.
Kearney also told the TV station that anti-trans stickers appeared near the triangle, and he and other community members responded that they were either covered or scratched with tape.
Kearney and local officials celebrated the 30th annual installation of the Pink Triangle this year, which will be held over Twin Peaks, the second and third highest peak in San Francisco. The enormous installations can be seen from downtown markets and from Market Street and Castro districts.
The triangle covers about an acre and consists of 175 tarps. According to the Pink Triangle website, “several tarp pieces of pink canvas staap” had been burning and had been destroyed previously.
The 2009 incident involved a destroyer who burns the center of the pink triangle, Carney told KGO-TV. He told the TV station.
The pink triangle is “a tradition that turns Twin Peak into a beacon of all San Francisco pride,” he said in a social media post after speaking at the triangle’s announcement earlier this month.
According to the installation’s website, the pink triangle commemorates “gay victims who were persecuted and killed in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany.”
According to the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, “more than 15,000 gay people were sent to the Nazi forced camp” and “forced to wear pink inverted triangles on their uniforms.” They were chosen for even more extreme persecution. “Sadly, 60% of gay men were sent to concentration camps.”
The pink triangle will then be revived in the LGBTQ+ community and “act as a reminder that history cannot repeat itself,” the center said.
On Tuesday, the mayor condemned the vandalism. “The hateful act of this vandalism does not reflect the values of San Francisco and is unacceptable,” Lurie said on social media.
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) called vandalism “a horrifying attack on the LGBTQ community.”
“The pink triangle is a symbol of the resilience of the community facing hatred and violence,” Wiener said in a statement. “We don’t go anywhere, and the amount of vandalism and violence doesn’t change that.
“I am grateful to the many volunteers who make pink triangles every year. There’s nothing to stop the spirit of this community. I’m sure the pink triangle will be repaired and we’ll be back on track soon,” Winner added.
The pink triangle will be on display until June 29th.
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