Man arrested on suspicion of defacing S.F.'s iconic Pink Triangle installation

San Francisco police said that officers arrested a 19-year-old on suspicion of defacing the Pink Triangle memorial art installation on Twin Peaks on Tuesday.
Officers said they responded to the unit block of Christmas Tree Point just before 12:30 p.m., where they observed a man 'actively defacing' the installation. After the suspect ran, police pursued him on foot and detained him, officials said.
Officers arrested Lester Bamacajeronimo of San Francisco in the incident. Officials said they seized evidence of vandalism tools.
Charges against the suspect are pending, officials said.
'This vandalism is unacceptable in our city and the San Francisco Police department condemns this act,' spokespersons said. 'San Francisco's Pink Triangle is a powerful tool of our city's commitment to supporting LGBT rights and commemorates to (sic) victims of the past.'
The installation of the city's famous Pink Triangle is one of the many events that mark the beginning of San Francisco's Pride month. Hundreds of volunteers show up each year to help setup the triangle, which makes up nearly an acre in size and this year, was made up of 175 pink tarps.
The San Francisco tradition, which began as a renegade crafts project, was established in 1995, according to a historical website for the Pink Triangle. The symbol of the pink triangle is a reclaiming of the pink triangle patch that gay men were forced to wear in Nazi Germany's concentration camps alongside Jews, Roma, political dissidents and other 'undesirables.'
Even after the Allies defeated the Nazis and freed many concentration camp survivors, those marked with pink triangles were imprisoned under a law barring homosexuality. Germany did not recognize gay men as victims of the Nazi regime and worthy of compensation until 2002, the Pink Triangle founder, Patrick Carney, told the Chronicle earlier this year.
San Francisco Chronicle reporter St. John Barned-Smith contributed to this report.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

San Francisco Chronicle​

20 hours ago

• San Francisco Chronicle​

S.F. DA charges second suspect in antisemitic attack in Marina

A second suspect in a recent antisemitic attack in the Marina District was charged Friday with two counts of assault and hate crime, San Francisco District Attorney's Office said. Prosecutors said Alejandro Flores-Lamas, 22, was among a group of about six people who were walking on the 3100 block of Fillmore Street heard saying 'F— the Jews, Free Palestine' early Saturday morning and then attacked a bystander. The victim, 27, and a friend were sitting on a curb waiting for an Uber after a night out, the friend, Alana Gans, 28, told the Chronicle Sunday. Gans said she told one of the men that she was Jewish and asked him to leave, and he responded with 'f— you,' Gans recounted. The other men recorded what was happening on their cell phones, laughed and shouted 'f— Jews,' Gans said. Gans said members of the group started to beat the victim, who prosecutors said hit his head and lost consciousness. Prosecutors said Flores-Lamas and the other group members continued to punch and kick the victim when he was down. Gans said her friend suffered a swollen lip, two bumps on the front of his head and a third on the back of his head. She was also knocked to the ground but did not suffer any injuries, she said. Prosecutors said a worker at a nearby business heard the antisemitic language and attempted to intervene but was also kicked and punched. Earlier this week, another suspect in the attack was charged with two counts of assault and hate crime allegations. The man was ordered to remain in jail without bail Wednesday. Flores-Lamas was arraigned on Friday, and he pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied the allegations, prosecutors said. Flores-Lamas' next court date was scheduled for July 2 for a preliminary hearing on the case. Over the prosecutors' objection, the court released Flores-Lamas and will rule on the motion whether to detain him after the hearing. As conditioned by his release, Flores-Lamas was ordered to appear at all subsequent hearings and must not contact any of the victims, prosecutors said. This case was still an ongoing investigation, and anyone with information was asked to call the San Francisco Police Department tip line at 1-415-575-4444.

Axios

a day ago

• Axios

"Zero tolerance": SF leaders denounce recent acts of antisemitism

Local officials and community leaders gathered Friday at City Hall to condemn a recent string of antisemitic incidents and to assure San Franciscans that perpetrators will be punished. Why it matters: The public stand comes after Jewish-owned cafe Manny's was vandalized and a man accused of a violent attack in the Marina was charged with a hate crime. What they're saying: "As a member of the Jewish community, these incidents hit close to home," Mayor Daniel Lurie said. "I want to be clear that we have zero tolerance for acts of hatred. ... If you commit a hate crime in San Francisco, we will find you and we will arrest you." There has been "a dramatic rise in antisemitism locally and nationally, on both polar extremes left and right of our politics," Tye Gregory, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said at the press conference. "This isn't about what's going on outside of the United States in the Middle East or anywhere else," district attorney Brooke Jenkins said. "This is about what we believe and who we are." State of play: Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, the Bay Area Jewish Community Federation has recorded over 40 threats — including bomb threats to local synagogues, schools and community centers — and more than 220 incidents of harassment and intimidation, senior vice president Rebecca Randall said Friday. Manny's was hit with graffiti saying "F**k Manny" and "The only good settler is a dead 1" following a night of anti-ICE protests earlier in June. Meanwhile, the attack in the Marina occurred after a Jewish woman asked a group of people to stop shouting "F**k Jews, free Palestine," she told the San Francisco Chronicle. Juan Diaz-Rivas punched the woman's friend, repeating antisemitic remarks and causing him to lose consciousness, prosecutors allege. Diaz-Rivas has pleaded not guilty. The big picture: Jewish leaders across the nation have warned that President Trump's invocation of antisemitism to justify policies like slashing college funds and deporting student protesters risks making Jewish people scapegoats.

Miami Herald

2 days ago

• Miami Herald

DOJ to seize $225.3 million for victims of crypto scammers

The Department of Justice has filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize $225.3 million for victims involved in cryptocurrency scams. The complaint, filed Wednesday, alleges that the cryptocurrency addresses that held over $225.3 million were part of a sophisticated blockchain-based money laundering network. 'Civil forfeiture complaint is the latest action taken by the Department to protect the American public from fraudsters specializing in cryptocurrency-based scams, and it will not be the last,' said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. 'These schemes harm American victims, costing them billions of dollars every year, and undermine faith in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Our investigators and prosecutors are relentlessly pursuing these scammers and their ill-gotten gains, and we will relentlessly pursue recovery of victim funds.' Last week, the DOJ found five men guilty who laundered over $36 million from victims. They operated out of Cambodia and faced maximum penalties of between five and 20 years in prison. Assistant Director of the FBI Criminal Division Jose A. Perez said his agency will not allow the criminals targeting unsuspecting victims who believe they are making legitimate investments to keep these scams going. 'This seizure of $225.3 million in funds linked to cryptocurrency investment scams marks the largest cryptocurrency seizure in U.S. Secret Service history, said Shawn Bradstreet, a special agent in that agency's San Francisco field office. In this investigation, more than 400 suspected victims say they lost money after believing that they were making investments, officials said. According to the FBI internet Crime Complaint Center's 2024 internet Crime Report, cryptocurrency investment fraud resulted in more than $5.8 billion lost in 2024. People over age 60 were impacted the most, losing an estimated $2.8 billion. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.