An LGBTQ+ pride flag hanging alongside the sign for HOPE United Church of Christ in Aurora was vandalized over the weekend, church officials announced on Tuesday.
In a news release, church officials said the flag was cut off the sign on Ridge Avenue, shredded and then reattached on Sunday. The church holds worship services at the Bethany United Methodist Church at 2200 Ridge Ave.
The Aurora Police Department is currently investigating the incident, according to Lt. Joseph Howe.
“All information, witness statements and evidence will be considered to determine the motivation of the crime, which may result in potential hate crime or other applicable charges,” Howe said in an email on Wednesday.
HOPE United Church of Christ is planning a community response to the vandalism of the pride flag at 10 a.m. Sunday at the church. Participants will hang hundreds of ribbons in the colors of the vandalized flag, according to the news release.
The Rev. Rudra Dundzila, the church’s pastor, said in a phone call on Tuesday that these ribbons will let the church continue to display the LGBTQ+ “progress pride” flag but will be much more difficult to tear down or vandalize.
The flag represents HOPE United Church of Christ’s welcoming and inclusive congregation, according to Dundzila.
“This is a safe place for people with different races, of different gender identities and of different sexual orientations,” Dundzila said.
Dundzila called the vandalism an “act of violence” that left many in the congregation upset. The community response event on Sunday is a way to respond to the incident in love, the pastor said.
“This is not going to drive us away,” Dundzila said. “We are here to stay and to let people know that there is a safe space for LGBTQ+ and African American and Hispanic American individuals at church, at our HOPE United Church of Christ.”
The damage to the flag could not have been an accident, according to Dundzila, because it was neatly cut from the fence and then reattached in pieces after it was cut apart. The pastor said that no notes were left and no additional communication was made to the church related to the incident.
In the time that Dundzila has been a pastor at the church, which has been about 18 months, there have not been any similar incidents, Dundzila said.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
