Wicker Park Lutheran Church's pride flags targeted by vandals

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Wicker Park church said vandals have targeted their pride flags, tearing them down nearly half a dozen times over the past three months.

Once part of a trio, the lone remaining pride flag at Wicker Park Lutheran Church is now strapped behind a protective metal gate.

"Over the past three months there have been five instances where an individual or individuals come by and tear down the pride flags," said Pastor Jason Glombicki.

The church's surveillance cameras caught a few of the incidents. In each, a male jogger runs up with conviction, hops a small barrier just out of frame, and then runs away with one, sometimes two, of the rainbow flags.

Church officials said they've seen this cycle play out periodically for years. In June 2019, vandals spray painted a black X across the pride flag. Then las week Pastor Glombicki said a passerby got aggressive, shouting at children and camp counselors outside the church.

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"Saying that the flags behind me need to be immediately taken down, the white stripe stands for pedophilia and the church should not be promoting that," he said.

When an adult intervened, he said the aggressor physically spit on the woman and drove off.

"I feel like these little micro-aggressions of pulling down a flag, simple things of vandalism, turn into bigger things," said Ellyzabeth Adler, who runs a summer dance camp at the church.

So now, once again, the church and its grateful tenants are rehanging flags, doubling down on their commitment to inclusivity, vandals or not.

Each time the flags are vandalized the church files a police report, so there are now at least half a dozen on file.

Pastor Glombicki said after Sunday service the congregation is going to decorate the exterior of the church with 300 small pride flags.