Lake Station police are investigating a vandalism incident at Riverview Park where someone defaced the parking lot with swastikas and gay slurs within a week after the first gay pride celebration in the city.
On Friday, workers paved over the spray-painted slurs on the parking lot, off Indiana 51, that’s just south of the event area and north of the city pool.
The two-day festival on June 1-2, sponsored by NWI Pride Fest Inc., drew hundreds of people to the park and organizers gave some of the proceeds to area charities. It included a pickleball tournament, drag queen performers, and a performance by Rocky Horror Abundance.
Police did not immediately provide a report, but the vandalism took place within a week after the festival.
Mayor Bill Carroll declined to comment on the incident Friday, saying he wanted to wait until the investigation was completed.
On social media, however, he said:
“It’s disheartening to see the dedication and hard work of our team undermined by severe hate and reprehensible vandalism in our parks. We take immense pride in maintaining these spaces for the community, and it’s frustrating when our efforts are set back.
“Each step forward we take is too often met with setbacks caused by the irresponsible actions of a few. However, we remain undeterred and committed to our mission. We will continue to push forward, driven by our dedication to this community. It’s important for everyone to take pride in their city, as we do.”
Leah Peksenak, of Portage who’s president of NWI Pride Fest, said Friday she learned of the incident from Carroll’s social media post.
“It’s awful… it’s horrible. Of course, my first thought was to wonder if it was related to the event,” she said.
She said people reported seeing homophobic remarks and threats about the festival on social media.
“It’s sad to say it was expected,” she said. “The mayor knew and that’s why we had security.”
She said Carroll, who is openly gay, was supportive of the festival.
“Mayor Bill has been wonderful to work with, and we expected some kind of pushback and harassment,” she said. “I think he’s well-liked in the city.”
Most or all the comments under Carroll’s post were supportive of the city’s efforts and sad and angry over the incident. Some people volunteered to clean up the spray paint.
Peksenak’s group and the city are undeterred, however.
She said they’ve already booked next year’s Pride Fest on June 7-8 at Riverview Park.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
