Try To Tear This: Hoboken Paints Rainbow Sidewalk After Someone Rips Pride Flag At Cafe

HOBOKEN, NJ — Uncle Milton's Cafe has been open in Hoboken for a year and a half, but it's only in recent weeks that someone has torn down their pride flag — twice. And now the city of Hoboken has fought back by creating a more permanent display of acceptance.

As police investigate the crime, city workers showed up on Thursday morning to paint the sidewalk across the street in rainbow colors (see photos above).

When chef Milton Canales opened the cafe — his first — in May 2022, he made it known that it was welcoming to all groups. Canales had immigrated from El Salvador at age 10 and began washing dishes in restaurants to make money. He eventually ran a catering business in Long Island for 20 years, before opening his first restaurant in the mile-square city. READ MORE: 'As A Gay Latino Man, Everyone Is Welcome': New Cafe Opens In Hoboken

"I want to express my thanks to the mayor and everyone for showing support," Canales said on Thursday, outside the cafe.

Hate crimes against the LGBTQ community have been intensifying recently, said the federal government this past spring — some of them fatal. In August, a mom in California was shot to death by a man who had previously torn down the pride flag at her business.

On Sunday, Canales had said that he had a feeling the perpetrator(s) were watching. He had a message for them: "All that stuff is not going to bring me down. Although I am going to catch him. We're all working really hard to catch this idiot who's doing this."

The cafe serves a variety of homemade beverages, homemade sandwiches, entrees, and desserts. Find out more here.