Pride Flags Stolen From Downtown Burien, Police Investigating

BURIEN, WA — Someone stole dozens of Gay Pride flags that the city of Burien had installed across their downtown for Pride month. Now law enforcement officers are trying to track down who did it.

The city says that on Tuesday, Discover Burien found that someone had stolen 38 of the 40 Pride flags they had put up. Burien says the flags have been an important fixture for their city for several years now, a way to commemorate the Stonewall riots that began on June 28, 1969, and to recognize the ongoing fight for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community members.

Burien has released a statement condemning the thefts, reading in part:

"The city of Burien is an inclusive and welcoming city and we want to strongly declare that acts of hate or intimidation based on someone’s identity have no place in our community. The outpouring of support that Discover Burien has received to replace the flags is proof that Burien is a welcoming place for all."

Both Burien Police and the King County Sheriff's Office have been called in to investigate and hopefully recover the flags. They've since released this surveillance video which appears to show two men walking down the street removing the flags. They're asking anyone who may recognize the two men, or who know anything about the thefts to give them a call at (206) 296-3311.