COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus police are looking into a hate crime that happened last week near The Ohio State University’s campus last Thursday. Two men were caught on camera saying homophobic slurs and vandalizing a pride flag in front of a home in the Weinland Park area of Columbus.
"It was shocking but not surprising,” Sarah, who lives at the home, said.
Surveillance video from the home’s front porch showed the two men approaching the front door. One of them pulled down his pants and started urinating on the LGBTQ+ pride flag on display on the porch. The other man appears to be taking a video of his friend with his phone. 10TV blurred the faces of the men in the video because they have not been criminally charged.
"There's honestly been a whole range of emotions, there's been some fear, some anger,” Raven, who also lives at the home, said.
The man wearing blue can then be heard yelling homophobic slurs as his friend laughs.
He then banged on the doors before taking off running.
"I decided to post something online and the police found us,” Zoe, who lives at the home, said.
Columbus police officers arrived at their home within a couple of hours of posting the video online on Sunday. An LGBTQ+ liaison who specifically handles hate crimes joined the officers,
Zoe, a mother of two, said she shared the video to set an example for her kids, who are both trans.
"I've got a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old and we've had the gamut of school experiences… This isn't something that they should expect as normalized in their life,” Zoe said.
This incident is also taking a toll on their family.
"Honestly, I've been a little more anxious, I've been checking the camera feeds, I've been looking outside more I've been more cautious,” Raven said.
"We all fear that this might just be the start of things and it could get worse,” Sarah said.
They hope that sharing their story spreads awareness about the threats they often face from the people in the community.
"None of us are looking to ruin these kids' lives,” Sarah said.
This family said they simply hope it can become a lesson learned.
"Not just that what they did was wrong but why it was wrong and how much it genuinely hurts people,” Sarah said.
They added this incident won’t stop them from keeping their pride on full display, for themselves, their kids, and their community.
"We're not looking for trouble, we're not looking for a fight, but we are looking to uplift our community and be a safe space for our community,” Kieve, who lives at the home, added.
Police have not said if they have identified the people in the video, but they said they are investigating the incident as a hate crime.