North Baltimore sign vandalized with anti-gay slur amid weekend Pride celebrations
BALTIMORE -- During a weekend full of Pride events for Baltimore's LGBTQ+ community, a north Baltimore neighborhood is targeted with an anti-gay slur.
Sometime between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, someone vandalized the Homeland sign at the corner of Charles Street and Saint Albans Way.
Police confirm a hate crime investigation is underway after someone spray painted an O over the E. The Homeland Association has been quick to fix it up.
— Dennis Valera (@dennisreports) June 26, 2023
Neighbors here tell me this is one of the last places in the city that should be targeted with this. @wjz pic.twitter.com/q3N02h4aP4
The suspect spray-painted an O over the E in Homeland on the sign, turning the name into the slur.
Police confirmed Monday a hate crime investigation is underway. Neighbors there say this is justified, given the slur, also saying this was the wrong neighborhood to do this to because they welcome everyone.
Millicent Bain has seen the sign vandalized many times over the decades she's lived in the area. But for her, what happened this weekend hit even closer to home this time.
"I have a gay son, I have a gay nephew, I have gay friends. I'm not gay myself, but I would like to think I'm an ally," Bain said. "This is a bigger problem than kids thinking they're doing something funny. That's not funny at all, it's hurtful."
Michael Burns, vice president of the Homeland Association, called police Sunday after a neighbor alerted him to the vandalism.
Burns lives across the street from the sign. Since moving there in 2019, his family has always put up Pride flags in June to support the LGBTQ+ community.
He said the vandalism has only emboldened the neighborhood to do more.
"One ignorant person spouting a hateful message isn't going to change the nature of our neighborhood. If anything, it just makes everyone double down and make everyone more welcoming," Burns said. "I was joking with friends, next year we'll probably put rainbow uplighting across the house."
This welcoming, friendly environment is something Bain has always loved about living here.
"I've experienced this neighborhood as being wonderful and open, so that's a good thing to think of."
The lack of surveillance cameras in the area has been a challenge to the investigation. If you know anything about what happened, call police immediately.