ATLANTA — Atlanta police are investigating after someone ransacked a banquet hall for the Global Black Pride event.
Displays were thrown to the ground and tables were flipped.
This is the first-ever Global Black Pride celebration in the United States, and Atlanta is the host city.
Attendees arrived yesterday for the event, which celebrates Black LGBTQ culture and runs through Labor Day.
They were stunned this morning by the damage in their banquet room.
Video footage shows overturned tables and items scattered across the floor. The vandals also defecated on a pride flag.
Toni-Michelle Williams, a pride event attendee who had an exhibit in the room, expressed her dismay.
“Our table was flipped over. All of our belongings, from brochures to hats to T-shirts, was blown all over the place. It was just a really sad scene,” Williams said.
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Boomer Woods, another attendee, shared his devastation with Channel 2′s Bryan Mims.
“It’s deep down in my heart and it hurts. It hurts more than anything, especially when we have youth coming up behind us,” Woods said.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Atlanta police said it appears an intoxicated guest of The Starling Hotel caused the damage late Tuesday night.
They are working to identify the person.
Event participants and hotel staff have since cleaned up the mess.
Ighodaro emphasized that it was an isolated incident and stressed the event’s resilience.
“We will not let anybody, anybody—no matter who they are—hinder the love, the unity, the community we’re creating here. We have so much more to do,” he said.
Williams also remained positive.
“We’re excited to still be here. We’re excited to have a presence and be visible because that is required to show people that we will fight back,” Williams said.
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