LGBTQ+ Pride flag burned at Newberg residence

Reported By: Benny Schorie

Content warning: mentions of homophobic and antisemitic hate crimes

NEWBERG, Ore.– At 3:15 a.m on Oct. 31, a pride flag of a Newberg resident was burned by a person who afterward gave a Nazi salute. The culprit was caught on a home security camera of the residents wearing a mask that only showed their eyes. The Newberg-Dundee Police Department has yet to identify and locate the suspect. 

The crime comes after a judge ruled that the Newberg Public Schools’ ban on LGBTQ+ Pride flags and Black Lives Matter signage was unconstitutional. The homeowner is an employee of Newberg Public Schools and has ties to George Fox University (GFU). Newberg Public Schools made a Twitter statement condemning the action and calling it a hate crime. 

In recent years, there has been an increase in antisemitic crimes; the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found a 34% increase from 2020 to 2021. 2022 has also seen a lew of antisemitic crimes in recent months. An increase in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes has been evident in recent years. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) reported an increase in crimes against trans and gender non-conforming people in 2021. These crimes come in tandem with the increase in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the nation in the last year. 

The home footage displays the GFU entrance sign along Villa Road. GFU has not made a statement about the crime.