Caldwell police are investigating the vandalism of Pride flags on The College of Idaho campus.
Caldwell Mayor Garret Nancolas called the vandalism a “hate crime.” Police are looking for a person of interest in the Tuesday night incident, the Idaho Statesman reported Wednesday. The college posted a photo of this person of interest on its Facebook page Wednesday night.
“We will not be deterred on our efforts to be the most welcoming campus and community on earth,” co-presidents Doug Brigham and Jim Everett said in a news release Wednesday. “There is work to be done and we will continue to engage in that work every day.”
“We have learned that just being an ‘ally’ is not enough to protect our LGBTQ+ community,” the Associated Students of the College of Idaho Executive Council said in a statement. “It is our responsibility to ensure that safety is paramount within our community, but also that we are becoming better stewards of our community.”
The vandalism occurred one day after a campus Pride event, when students placed flags on college buildings. The flags were vandalized, and the words “Not In My Town” were spray-painted on a sidewalk.
“This is our town and our campus and there is no place for hate here,” Brigham and Everett said Wednesday.