Video shows man slash, tear down Pride flag from Anaheim couple's home

Leanne Suter Image
Monday, June 17, 2024
Disturbing act of hate during Pride Month caught on camera in Anaheim
Residents of one Anaheim neighborhood are putting up Pride flags as a show of support for a couple whose flag was torn down from their home.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- An Anaheim neighborhood was left stunned after an LGBTQ Pride flag was slashed and torn down from in front of one couple's home.

But neighbors are responding with a show of love and support for the couple.

Jake Nolan and his partner Jon had just put the flag up in front of their home a few days ago. When they saw it on the ground at first they thought perhaps the wind had torn it down.

But when they looked at their doorbell camera they saw something much more disturbing.

In the video, two men are walking along Water Street Saturday around 2 a.m. when one of them makes a beeline for the Pride flag in front of the couple's home. He pulls out a knife and slashes through the flag, then rips the flag and pole down.

"They used the f word - the slang term - and said not in my hood, not in my neighborhood," Jake said. "We've lived here for years. There are other same-sex couples who have been here for decades. It's like, no, this is our neighborhood."

Their neighbors agree. Several have now put up their own Pride flags in a show of support, making it clear hate has no place in their neighborhood. Jake and Jon are overwhelmed by the support.

The couple has filed a report with Anaheim police and plan to put up a new flag soon.