SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A local church's banner welcoming the LGBTQ community has been targeted by vandals twice in the past three months, leaving the congregation heartbroken.
Since 2022, a banner with the words "Welcome, Inclusion, Celebration" has hung in front of Ascension Lutheran Church in Allied Gardens as an outreach to the LGBTQ community.
"We wanted it to be explicitly known that we welcome and affirm the LGBTQ community," said Pastor Rick Fry.
However, on January 19th, the day before President Trump's inauguration, surveillance video showed three masked individuals tearing down the banner before dragging it away.
"It didn't seem like a random, spontaneous act … Someone shredded it with a knife or razor,” Fry said. "I was angry and sad for the whole community."
The church raised over $400 to replace the banner, which was dedicated on Valentine's Day. But just two months later, vandals struck again.
On the evening of April 5th, video footage showed a masked lookout nearby as two others tore down the framed banner and carried it away. The banner was later found at a nearby school, with tire tracks on it and a large hole in the center of it. The banner was initially discovered missing right before Sunday service.
“It was an emotional Sunday. Everybody’s heart sank. There was a lot of emotion and tears, and anger that this happened," Fry said. "It felt like an attack on who we are as a community.”
The church has filed police reports, and anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
A GoFundMe campaignhas been set up to help the church replace the banner.
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