AUBURN, Wash. — For more nearly a year an Auburn family says they’ve been the target of hate-fueled attacks.
At first, it was having their PRIDE flag stolen or torn down.
“We went through probably 20 flags in the first year. And it was just ridiculous,” says Ed Brabant.
So, he and his family painted the flag on their front fence.
“You can’t steal a fence. I literally said that to my partner,” says Brabant.
But while the fence remains in place, the violence quickly escalated.
The family says they’ve had swastikas spray painted on their fence, fence posts pulled down, and even explosives launched near their home. All done by seemingly different perpetrators, by the looks of the family’s surveillance footage.
Washington’s Attorney General’s office describes a hate crime as any ‘assault, threat, or property damage motivated by race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or mental, physical or sensory disability.’
Brabant says the hate crimes targeting his fence are currently being investigated by the FBI, but no suspects have been arrested.
“These are obviously people who are fearful of change in their worldview and don’t know any other way to speak out,” says Brabant. “All I wish for them is some counseling and reflection on who they are as people.”
He says he and his family continue to live in fear, over whether the hate crimes will continue to escalate, especially during Pride Month. Already, it’s cost them several sleepless nights and thousands of dollars in damage. However, their commitment to LGBTQ+ allyship is unwavering.
“We had no idea it was gonna go this far. But now we can’t back down. Because it’s now more than us,” says Brabant.
The family has started a GoFundMe to help pay for some of their upgraded security needs, including installing a metal fence and fence repairs.
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