Members of the Thunder Bay Police Service’s Community Inclusion Team are requesting public support amid an investigation into the theft of an “Every Child Matters” flag.
The incident occurred at 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 25 when three males were observed entering a property in the 800 block of Gore Street West. One of the males then removed the orange flag. The male suspect, described as wearing all back with a black hat and black mask, ripped down the flag and proceeded to walk away with it.
If you witnessed this event, or observed a male dressed in black with an orange flag in that area on that date, please call police at 684-1200 and cite Incident No. P21067793. You can also submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at www.p3tips.com.
The motivation of the theft is unknown at this time, but remains part of the ongoing investigation.
The Thunder Bay Police Service is aware of conversations on social media discussing multiple incidents of vandalism in which signs or flags supporting the LGBTQ2S+ and Indigenous communities appear to have been targeted.
Most of these incidents appear to not be reported to police, so the TPBS would like to take this opportunity to strongly encourage anyone who is the victim of a crime to come forward so it can be formally and thoroughly investigated.
If you believe you were targeted because of a social or racial demographic you belong to, or are perceived to belong to, please indicate that when making a report. Community Inclusion Team investigators can review such incidents for possible hate-motivation and will investigate accordingly.
In an emergency, please call 9-1-1. For non-emergency services please call police at 684-1200 or make a report at the TBPS headquarters at 1200 Balmoral Street.
If an incident of hate is not believed to be criminal, you can make a report via 2-1-1. Learn more here: https://211north.ca/incident-reporting/