Police are investigating a break-in and vandalism at a bar on 18th Street in Northwest D.C. called Sinners and Saints.
The owners said the bar is a safe space for those a part of the Queer, transgender, Black, Indigenous and person of color community.
“The entire mission of the business is to make sure that we see that community, we’re a part of that community and we want to make sure that the safe space is created for that community,” said Blair Nixon, the general manager of Sinners and Saints.
That mission of inclusivity was violated early Friday when police say a suspect broke into the bar and vandalized it.
“Disheartening is really the best word,” Nixon said.” We try and create safe spaces for underrepresented and marginalized communities.”
Nixon was the first one to the scene. He said he discovered the damage left behind by the suspect.
“Definitely saw the Shattered Glass,” he said. “It was a really big mess. And then obviously saw the message written on the wall.”
The message was described by police as anti-LGBTQ hate speech.
The vandalism and burglary comes during the celebration of Black Pride in the District, a time dedicated to a community that some say is often forgotten.
“What always happens is that the adoption of, you know, LGBT people comes first, and then the adoption of the QTBIPOC — so talking about trans, Black people, persons of color — always lags behind.
Both the and QTBIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities say they have concerns about the celebration of Pride events through the next couple of weeks in the nation’s capital due to some of the actions and comments by the Trump administration — including the military ban on transgender service members and requiring passports to match a person’s sex at birth.
It’s a key reason why Nixon says places like sinners and saints need to be open.
“The current political climate is really scary, and that’s one of the reasons why we care so much about the space, and we try and do everything that we can do to make sure it’s a safe space,” Nixon said.
The Metropolitan Police Department is asking anyone with information about the case to contact them.
from Local – NBC4 Washington https://ift.tt/3q854ik
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