Wolfe contrasted that history with the response in Burlington to the Old North End flag burning. The Pride movement began in the 1960s as response led by transgender women of color to discrimination and police violence. “LGBTQ+ people have been challenging hateful people, laws, and systems that target us based on our identities for more than 50 years,” Wolfe said. Marginalized groups have not always been able to trust law-enforcement officers given a history of brutality and oppression, notes Wolfe of the Vermont Pride Center. It shows that we still have a long way to go collectively,” said Murad, the Burlington deputy police chief. “But we have come a long way as well, and I think that our police response is indicative of that.” From police brutality to empathy for LGBTQ+ persons “Hate crime is a terrible way to begin Pride Month. The flag-burning incident has proved sobering to a city police department seeking to support marginalized communities better. For one, victims do not always seek out law enforcement to report incidents.Īccording to Wolfe, the rise in reporting in Vermont can be partially attributed to improved collaboration between Vermont State Police and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office to “help improve responses and recognition of hate crimes.” Tracking the actual rates of hate crimes can be challenging. “If we look at the numbers that have been publicly reported by the FBI in terms of voluntary reporting from law enforcement, we’ve seen a rise of reported hate crimes by law enforcement in Vermont over the last couple of years,” he said. “There’s no question that nationally, cities, towns and states are receiving more reports and are connecting more investigations of reported hate crimes," said Julio Thompson, assistant to the Vermont attorney general. Vermont officials are well aware of the disturbing trends. "When one of us is hurt out of hate due to our identities, many others experience fear, pain and feelings of isolation." Increased reports of hate crimes in Vermont, nationwide “Identity-related crimes have a ripple effect," said Skylar Wolfe, director of the SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program at the Vermont Pride Center. This incident comes amid a slew of Pride flag burnings and other hate-fueled crimes in New York City and reflects a broader trend of increased hate crimes nationwide. June 10: Catholic Church rejects transgender identity, calls gender change a 'trend' in statement
![hate crime burning gay pride flag hate crime burning gay pride flag](https://www.advocate.com/sites/default/files/2015/07/01/Burning-Rainbow-Flag-x400.jpg)
June 11: Mike Pence says banning pride flags at US embassies is 'the right decision' It’s just frightening that someone thought that that was OK that it was an acceptable risk due to their hatred.” This isn’t something to be taken lightly. Said Searle: “It’s a lot more than just burning a flag down. “We were so troubled by the fact that we could have been there and someone could have gotten hurt or the house could have gone up in flames and so we started panicking.” This jarring news interrupted the couple on a trip to Montreal as they celebrated the beginning of Pride Month. Police continue to search for further evidence and for suspects. When police arrived at Vaccaro and Seale's home June 1, they found evidence the flag was burned.
![hate crime burning gay pride flag hate crime burning gay pride flag](https://www.nydailynews.com/resizer/BfMcP5g9YYpUmXWZhJB60nEbPHE=/800x966/top/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/VKJNS3XXQYBWKB5Q7NYLYTGW7Q.jpg)
Watch Video: LGBTQ’s fight for civil rights, explained