San Francisco police are investigating after a suspect vandalized a floral design store with homophobic graffiti and fled in an SUV with pro-Charlie Kirk messages written on the back windshield.
Jeff Dumlao, co-owner of Flower Design Studio Chartreuse by Roger He and his partner, Roberto Cancel, in San Francisco’s Castro district, said they were alerted to the graffiti on May 16, and had just closed for the day.
“We were going to support one of our friends at the art show down the street, and on the way there, we got a text from one of our clients saying, ‘I know you just closed, but there’s some nasty graffiti on the wall outside the store and some kind of commotion, so you might want to come back,'” Dumlao said. SFist.
When Dumlao and Cancel returned to the store, multiple San Francisco police officers were at the scene. They learned that the suspects had assaulted their upstairs neighbor and fled in a white SUV, and they saw graffiti outside the store’s front door that read “faggot = gas chamber.”
“What bothered us the most was really the exact words,” Dumlao said.
NBC affiliate station KNTV An upstairs neighbor, identified only as Justin, reportedly saw the suspect get out of the SUV and heard him start spray painting the walls.
“I heard the distinct sound of spray cans shaking,” Justin said.
Justin told KNTV that he went downstairs and confronted the vandal, telling him, “I’m sorry, this is my home. You can’t vandalize it. It’s illegal. I want you to leave now.”
Witnesses said the suspect punched Justin in the face, got into an SUV, hit a parked car and fled the scene, before fleeing onto 14th Street. Justin was able to photograph the suspect’s car and license plate. A cross was painted on the back window of the SUV and the message “Forward Christians, Charlie Kirk, rest in peace,” a reference to the late right-wing activist known for his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and support of Christian nationalism.
SFist After Justin photographed his car’s license plate, San Francisco police reported that they are working with the neighbor who was assaulted and are aiming to make an arrest in the ongoing investigation. Police reportedly believe the graffiti is an isolated incident and not part of a broader pattern of similar crimes.
After police recorded the scene, Dumlao and Cancel found a can of paint inside the store to cover up the graffiti.
“Our first instinct was to cover it up,” Dumlao said. SFist. “We don’t want to give them any more ammunition and keep that message there or make them think they can get away with this, especially in the Castro of all places.”
Dumlao said she would like to work with homeowners and local artists to replace the graffiti with a mural depicting a bouquet of flowers, adding: “We want to commemorate this with images of beauty and love.”
Nate Berg, president of the Castro Merchants Association, said he was “deeply saddened” by the graffiti and the “hateful divisions that still exist in our society.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
