SPOKANE, Wash – Paul Dillon says this is the second time this week that someone has stolen a flag from his home. But this wasn’t the only damage that was done. Dillon’s campaign signs were slashed.
“It’s terrifying. It’s a really invasive feeling, and it’s really hard to feel like our neighborhood here in Perry is just not under attack right now,” said Dillon.
Dillon says he has filed a crime check report, and he believes this was a targeted attack, “It’s an attempt to scare LGBTQ+ communities. It’s trying to intimidate and cause a lot of fear in the Perry District, and we’re not going to stand for it.”
His home wasn’t the only target last night. His neighbor Owen Williams, who has lived in the neighborhood for over a decade, says his flag wasn’t stolen, but the person responsible certainly left a clear message, “Over the course of one night of it being up, somebody ended up going up on to our porch and stabbing it.”
Williams said he knew something like this would happen, but his mom convinced him that was all the more reason to put it up.
“My mother wanted to kind of paint the picture that, like, hey, there’s more of us than there are them. So there’s no reason to kind of like fear like we should be able to express ourselves the way we want to,” said Williams
Around the corner, Wishing Tree Books was left to pick up the pieces of the attack, torn down flags, smashed pumpkins, and egg shells.
Owner Janelle Smith says, these fear tactics won’t work in the Perry District,” in some communities, maybe it would work, and it would scare people, and then they would feel alone, but you don’t get that here.”
Despite last night’s incident, Dillon says their neighborhood will continue to support the LGBTQ+ community, “we’re going to continue to be loud, continue to stand in solidarity with lgbtq plus communities. At the end of the day, love will always win.”
