The Metropolitan Police are appealing for the public to help identify a man who allegedly vandalised a political sign outside gay bar, The Little Gay Pub.
The man is accused of vandalizing several flower pots bearing portraits of Vice President Kamala Harris that are located around the DC Bar at 1100 P St. NW. The incident is believed to have occurred at approximately 8:23 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23.
According to police, the man A spray-painted “X” Harris’ face was scribbled on each of the signs with messages like “Harris = Hitler” and “Trump > Hitler,” and on posters at a nearby subway stop and outside the door of a bar, where messages like “Harris = Hitler” and “Trump > Hitler” were also scribbled.
The man was seen on CCTV at the Little Gay Pub.
MPD has released a photo of the suspect and is asking area residents with information to contact the department by calling 202-727-9099 or texting MPD’s text tip line to 50411.
A reward of up to $1,000 is available for information leading to an arrest and indictment.
Dito Sevilla, co-owner of the Little Gay Pub, said the man police are searching for was caught on camera writing “HMS” on a poster of Kamala Harris on September 11.
It is still unclear what the initials mean, or what the man’s motive was for defacing the poster.
““Nobody knows what his motives are,” Sevilla said. Metro Weekly“Initially, we [HMS] “It would have been ‘Hamas’ without the vowels. But on Saturday, I wrote on a bus stop wall that Kamala is equal to Hitler and Trump is better than Hitler.”
Sevilla said “citizen journalists” on social media had attempted to identify the man in the photo released by the MPD and had tracked him to a specific street in the city’s Shaw district.
Sevilla said it was frustrating to see the Little Gay Pub targeted for its political statements, especially in the capital where political engagement is part of the city’s identity.
“It feels a bit like a violation because this is our private property,” he said. “These posters are custom made, carefully crafted and a specific size for a specific purpose. They can’t just be replaced…”
“Frankly, I think it’s ridiculous and stupid that someone would continue to tarnish something. [that expresses] “It’s our opinion, and it’s something we post so our customers know exactly who we support,” he continues. “We live in a Washington bubble where 95 percent of people are going to vote for Kamala Harris, and we think that’s a safe choice? [political] “Opinions differ, there will always be some dissent, but I would like to see it dealt with in a more constructive, economical and self-funded way.”
MPD said in a press release that the incident is under investigation as possibly being motivated by hate or bias and that they are enlisting the assistance of the Special Liaison Unit in the criminal investigation.
The designation means that criminal damage charges and bias enhancements can be added if prosecutors deem it appropriate or if they find evidence proving anti-LGBTQ animus. But just because police designate an incident as a hate crime doesn’t mean prosecutors will pursue bias enhancements in the future.
Sevilla said the Bar Association is not seeking extreme revenge against the perpetrators.
“We don’t want to see this guy go to prison for years,” he said. “We just want to [him] “Please stop. We want to be able to put up our signs and attract customers in peace and harmony, as we have done for years now.”
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Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
