Vandalism outside Pride building investigated as hate crime: 'Vile act of hate,' mayor says

A utility box in front of the Pride building in Long Beach, California, was vandalized this weekend in an incident police are investigating as a hate crime.

The culprit drew a swastika and wrote derogatory language toward the LGBTQ+ community, according to images released by Long Beach Pride. "MAGA" was also written on the utility box.

The vandalism was reported around 5:42 p.m. on Saturday and is "being investigated as hate/bias motivated," Long Beach police said.

Long Beach Pride is the organization behind the annual Pride Festival in Long Beach, a coastal city south of Los Angeles.

"We’re going on our 43rd year, our 43rd Pride celebration," Long Beach Pride President Tonya Martin told ABC News. "The organization was set up for raising funds for other community members, scholarships and such, to help our community."

“We’ve had some vandalism here and there, but this is the first time it was so blatant. It was, to me, like a death threat," she said.

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson in a statement called the vandalism "an attack on our LGBTQ+ family, friends, and neighbors."

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"This vile act of hate has absolutely no place in Long Beach," Richardson said.

"To our LGBTQ+ residents and families: I want you to know that you are valued, loved, and respected," the mayor added. "You are an essential part of our city, and we will always fight for your right to live openly, proudly, and with the same dignity that every person deserves."

Martin said city workers have removed the graffiti, and she said Long Beach Pride plans to bring in local artists to repaint the utility box "to make it a positive statement."

"We're trying to bring love into this situation. We're firm believers in hate, plus fear, equals violence. So if you put a little love in there, you can kind of, you know, deter it. That’s our job," she said.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and they ask anyone with information to call the Violent Crimes Detail at (562) 570-7250.