You are reading

Pride Banner Ripped Down From Forest Hills Church, Lawmakers Condemn Hateful Act

A pride banner was allegedly ripped down from outside a Forest Hills church last weekend (Photo: Jack Quinn via Facebook)

June 9, 2022 By Michael Dorgan

A pride banner was allegedly ripped down from outside a Forest Hills church last weekend and several Queens lawmakers have condemned the incident.

The hateful act took place between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Church-in-the-Gardens, located at 50 Ascan Ave., according to police.

The rainbow banner was hanging across the front entrance of the church to celebrate pride month before it was torn down by an unidentified suspect, or suspects, and then dumped inside a nearby trash can, police said. It was not damaged and was found by a resident Saturday evening, cops said.

Police say they received a complaint about the incident Wednesday and an investigation is currently being carried out by the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force.

The banner has the phrase “A Just World For All” emblazoned across it and was produced by the United Church of Christ, a mainline Protestant Christian denomination which has around 5,000 churches around the U.S. The Church-in-the-Gardens is part of the United Church of Christ.

Congresswoman Grace Meng, State Senator Joseph Addabbo, Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi, and Council Member Lynn Schulman released a joint statement Thursday blasting the alleged culprit.

“This was a display of cowardice, and a reminder that we cannot let up in the fight for equality,” the statement reads.

“We are proud to represent a community that celebrates all of our LGBTQ+ neighbors – who make up our elected representatives, community leaders, advocates, friends and people of all walks of life.”

Local residents also denounced the incident and took to Facebook to convey their feelings.

“A terrible action that clearly does not reflect the sentiments of our community,” wrote one poster.

That’s disgusting! My daughter and I went past earlier on Saturday and commented on how great the church [was to] put the pride colors on display,” wrote another. “It showed support and inclusion. And it’s so narrow-minded of someone to have done this.”

According to published reports, the church plans on ordering a new flag and erecting it at the same spot, although at a higher elevation.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at http://crimestoppers.nypdonline.com/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Krishnan leads push to end city contracts with convicted landscaping company owner

Jun. 18, 2025 By Czarinna Andres

A coalition of elected officials and labor leaders is calling on the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to immediately terminate all contracts with Griffin’s Landscaping, a city contractor whose owner, Glenn Griffin, was recently sentenced to two years in federal prison for bribery and illegal dumping as part of a $2.4 million environmental crime scheme.

Teen robber wanted for snatching wallet from senior at SkyView Center in Flushing: NYPD

Police from the 109th Precinct in Flushing are looking for a young robber who targeted a senior at the Shops at SkyView Center late last month.

The teen was seen on video surveillance just inside the mall entrance at 40-24 College Point Blvd. at around 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, when he spotted a 72-year-old man and approached him from behind and snatched a wallet from his hand, police said Tuesday. The suspect ran out of the mall and was last seen traveling on foot westbound on Roosevelt Avenue toward Citi Field. The senior was not injured during the encounter. His wallet contained just $8 in cash and multiple bank cards.

Six teens wanted for beating and robbing man in daylight robbery in Flushing: NYPD

A man was beaten and robbed by a gang of teenagers in broad daylight on a residential block in Flushing, and the half dozen suspects, who range in age from 13 to 16 years old, remain at large nearly a month after the attack.

The 27-year-old victim was walking past 143-46 37th Avenue just before 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, when two teens approached him from behind and began punching him repeatedly with closed fists in his face, head, and right eye, causing him to fall to the ground, police said. Four other teens joined in and began to strike the victim with an umbrella, hitting him in his right eye.

Former NYS Assembly candidate from Flushing charged with wire fraud: Feds

Flushing resident Dao Yin was arrested on Friday the 13th and charged with wire fraud in Brooklyn federal court for allegedly stealing more than $160,000 in campaign matching funds from New York State taxpayers during his failed attempt as a Democratic candidate for the New York State Assembly in 2024.

Yin is accused of reporting false campaign donations — including forged signatures of purported contributors — to secure matching funds. The 62-year-old Yin was arraigned Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon after a criminal complaint was unsealed that alleged he registered his campaign committee with the New York State Public Campaign Finance Program and submitted fraudulent forms and obtained approximately $162,800 in public matching funds as he challenged Assembly Member Ron Kim in last year’s Democratic primary.