Tires of Chicago gay pride parade floats slashed

Workers scrambled to replace 102 tires on 51 floats for the 42nd Annual Pride Parade after vandals punctured tires on 51 floats, June 26, 2011. (WBBM)

Vandals tried to rain on the Pride Parade in Chicago, by slashing the tires of parade floats.

Police confirmed that someone punctured tires on 51 parade floats at a storage facility, reports CBS Station WBBM.

Chuck Huser, owner of Associated Attractions Enterprises, Inc., said every float stored at the warehouse had two of its tires punctured overnight. He said organizers of the parade scrambled to replace as many tires as possible in time for the parade's noon kickoff.

2011 Chicago Pride Parade

Huser said he and his crews made more than 80 percent of the floats in this year's parade, and had worked at the warehouse until 8 p.m. Saturday to finish them. When they returned at 5 a.m. to ready them for the parade, he said, "We noticed all the floats were leaning to one side. Every single float had a knife hole in (two tires.)"

Police said that the vandalism was not being treated as a hate crime. But Huser said he didn't know what else to call it.

Parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer said he thinks it's a hate crime, too.

"That's my gut reaction, that it probably is." Pfeiffer said. "Why would someone pick the night before the LGBT Pride Parade to do something like this?"

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by SkyVibes July 3, 2011 10:19 AM EDT: I feel that it totally WAS a hate crime. I think this way cuz the only reason that the tires were slashed,in my opinion,had to be cuz they wanted to do something to hurt the people involved in the Parade cuz of the fact of it being the PRIDE parade. This doesn't happen when there is any other type of parade. I am a supporter of Gay rights. I am NOT gay,myself. But I believe that humans are all humans. Each person deserves respect,no matter what their race,sex,political views,and religions are. We are all human and maybe we can learn something from each other and our differences in lifestyles,cultures and heritage!Just an after thought.
*PLEASE don't bombard me with all kinds of mean things to say. This is AMERICA,yes? We all have our rights and people just need to live their OWN,personal lives and leave the rest alone!; Reply to this comment

by bobby_dee June 28, 2011 9:38 AM EDT

My love of Jesus is a life style. The law says I may not offend others, yet the gays offend me and I must accept their life style?

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by Gene-Goldring June 30, 2011 4:03 PM EDT: The law does not say you may not offend others. That is covered under freedom of speech. You have every right to be offended and every right to be offensive.

Your life style is unlike the life style of homosexuals. You can change your religion or opt for none. Homosexuals can't change who they are sexually anymore than you can.

You don't have to accept their way. That is entirely up to you. You aren't asked to do anything.

by ZoeBrain June 28, 2011 3:34 AM EDT

Of course this isn't a hate crime. These are 102 completely separate incidents with no connection between them, it's all just a coincidence.

This gets a bit sickening, doesn't it? When they don't even bother to pretend.

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by Gene-Goldring June 30, 2011 4:05 PM EDT: The people that perpetrate these kinds of crimes are driving insurance rates through the roof. We all know who did this vandalism. So does their god.


by Imthaid2 June 27, 2011 1:03 PM EDT: EXCELLENT! I just hope this doesn't happen in the STRAIGHT Pride parade. They do have a straight pride parade, don't they?; Reply to this comment

by Dgunner June 27, 2011 9:06 AM EDT

I wonder if these people have ever heard of security guards? I don't bash gay or lesbian people they will have enough problems when judgement day for them arrives.Some think they can continue to live that lifestyle all way up to the sixth trump and then repent . I got news for them God doesn't operate that way . {MY source the Holy Bible}The line to heaven gets shorter and shorter by the minute.

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by Gene-Goldring June 30, 2011 4:08 PM EDT: So you don't have a reasonable source for your opinion? Just a Bible? The same book that has sot to devide man for thousands of years?

"Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity."

-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782


by thadius5 June 27, 2011 3:32 AM EDT: American citizens, Gay or otherwise, have the right to do anything they want unless it hurts others. Gay people are not going to go away and give up their struggle to have the same rights as other Americans. I think the punishment for hate crimes should be increased until it becomes an effective deterrent for hateful and dangerous people who commit them. Also, I'm not Gay.; Reply to this comment

by mecanik-2009 June 26, 2011 11:39 PM EDT

I don't agree with the tire slashing but I don't agree with the parade either. Why is there even a need to have a parade in celebration of such a thing in the first place. We don't have parades in celebration of hetero sex that I'm aware of. Hetero sex is an assumed lifestyle in normal family life but it's not "paraded" like these people want to do. If I were to parade around and tell people I was hetero I would probably looked at like a nut.

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