London, Ont. man's Pride flag torn from front porch, rainbow crosswalk vandalized in Owen Sound
London resident, Stephen Karchut, is expressing shock and deepened sadness after finding out his Pride flag was ripped from his front porch around 7 p.m., Sunday evening.
Video surveillance shows four teenagers approaching Karchut’s property with one of the four tearing down the Pride Flag that was zip-tied to his front porch.
“You see Blue Jays flags, you see other country’s flags, Canadian flags. None of them have been noticeably missing except ours,” says Karchut, who believes this was a targeted attack on himself and the LGBTQ community.
Karchut adds that he never expected something like this to happen to himself and his partner in London, “To have a flag that symbolizes our very existence, torn down in a month that is supposed to celebrate who we are, just really, really cuts through you.”
Stephen Karchut had his Pride flag stolen from his London, Ont. home on June 20, 2021. (Jaden Lee-Lincoln/CTV London)
Stephen Karchut had his Pride flag stolen from his London, Ont. home on June 20, 2021. (Jaden Lee-Lincoln/CTV London)
London police are aware of the incident and investigating. They are asking anyone with information about the stolen flag to contact them.
Karchut is asking the youth involved in the incident to return the flag.
Meanwhile, Owen Sound police are investigating after the city's rainbow crosswalk was vandalized over the weekend.
Police were notified Sunday morning and city crews immediately removed the markings.
“This senseless act is contrary to the beliefs of an accepting and inclusive community,” said Owen Sound Police Chief Craig Ambrose in a news release. “I encourage anyone with information to come forward to the police so that those responsible can be brought to justice.”
June marks Pride Month as the world's LGBTQ2 population celebrates the freedom to be themselves.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.