The police in Kirkland, Washington, must not have a lot on the blotter for their officers to do.
Sure, it’s a pretty big city — population over 92,000, according to the latest Census Bureau data — and it’s a suburb of Seattle, not necessarily known for being a metropolis in the best of shapes right now when it comes to crime and quality of life.
But the folks in Kirkland apparently are willing to spend an inordinate amount of attention and resources to catch a dangerous criminal, at least from the way they make him or her sound. What’d he do? Knock over a convenience store? Bank heist? Fentanyl sale?
Nope. He or she did a burnout in their SUV on the city’s pride-flag crosswalk.
“Kirkland Police Department (KPD) is asking for the public’s help to identify the individual(s) responsible for damaging the Pride flag crosswalk that was introduced to the community earlier this month at the entrance of Marina Park at Kirkland Avenue and Lakeshore Plaza,” the department said in a media release Wednesday.
“The incident was captured on surveillance on Tuesday night, June 20, at approximately 11:40 p.m. The vehicle appears to be a white 2010-2022 model Toyota Sequoia with a distinctive roof rack,” it continued.
“The vehicle was occupied by at least two individuals. KPD is seeking the public’s help in identifying these suspects for the crimes of Reckless Driving and Malicious Mischief.”
Watch the gratuitous anti-LGBT criminality in action:
KPD is asking for the public’s help to ID the individual(s) who vandalized the Pride flag crosswalk at the entrance of Marina Park at Kirkland Avenue and Lakeshore Plaza on 6/20. See news release: https://t.co/fQ0YS2skcq pic.twitter.com/t83PgolBTV
— Kirkland Police (@KirklandWAPD) June 29, 2023
Should this burnout be treated as a crime?
Yes: 13% (1 Votes)
No: 87% (7 Votes)
Or take a look at it from another angle!
Kirkland police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the people responsible for damaging the Pride flag crosswalk that was introduced at the beginning of the month.https://t.co/2JbsVDRCdz
— KOMO News (@komonews) June 30, 2023
And here’s a tweet that features a picture from a third angle, just in case you really need to make sure that Toyota Sequoia might have some distinctive features you weren’t catching before:
Kirkland PD searching for the people responsible for vandalizing a #Pride flag crosswalk on 6/20 around 11:40pm near the entrance of Marina Park pic.twitter.com/W5kF4l7cnM
— Lynnanne Nguyen (@LynnanneNguyen) June 30, 2023
Now, granted, this is hardly to condone reckless driving or malicious mischief, but one safely assumes this isn’t being put on blast because Kirkland police are worried these guys are leaving tire tracks all over town.
For instance, the “News & Info” portion of the city of Kirkland’s website has no other page asking for information on any other crime during the month of June. Granted, on the same day, the city’s police department Twitter account did note they were assisting in the search for a hit-and-run suspect — which, unless it involved the guys burning some rubber on the pride flag, seems like it might take more precedence. But nope, that didn’t make the page.
Kirkland Police are conducting an area check for a hit-and-run driving suspect. A City of Kirkland drone is being utilized to assist in the search around Everest park in Kirkland. There is no threat to the greater community at this time. pic.twitter.com/89dEfh77oz
— Kirkland Police (@KirklandWAPD) June 28, 2023
I wonder why this might be — or why the city isn’t trying to track down the individuals responsible for defacing Kirkland’s so-called “MAGA Flowers,” which are what they sound like:
— Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) June 30, 2023
According to the official account for this “beloved” garden arrangement, the official Twitter account for the flowers (yes, it has one) said that the charges against at least one set of vandals (check the account and you’ll see there were apparently many) were dismissed and the alleged perpetrators given 25 hours of community service in January of 2022:
City Prosecutor Blakeley Warbinton stated before the court, “The City is moving to dismiss this case based upon negotiations and in the interest of Justice.” 🌺 #NoJusticeNoPeace
— MAGA Flowers (@MAGA_Flowers) January 31, 2022
I doubt the driver of that Sequoia will get off quite that easily, which didn’t shock Twitter. The waste of resources, on the other hand, led to a bit of a public revolt:
Police will put out an APB over a burnout and turn a blind eye to people slinging fentanyl and crapping on the sidewalk. Makes sense.
— Bruce Hermann, MD (@bfhermann) June 29, 2023
This is fine and all, but what other crimes are you working on? Got any violent crime perp photos for us to track down?
— Dubhghlas (@Psycho_Six) June 30, 2023
Maybe you should focus on actual police work? Real crime?
This kind of thing wouldn’t happen if it’s not forced compliance.— ☘️ERIC N☘♎8️⃣ (@starside8) June 29, 2023
But that’s the point: There’s an official pride crosswalk and you must respect it just like a Catholic would venerate the consecrated bread and wine. Anything less and the eyes of the law will be focused squarely upon you.
Look, you shouldn’t be doing burnouts on pride crosswalks. But, if you’re police, you also shouldn’t be spending your valuable taxpayer-funded time looking for people doing burnouts on pride crosswalks.
What’s this going to lead to? Loudly gunning the engine outside a drag brunch? Speeding past the LGBT organic co-op? Tailgating Subaru drivers?
Get some priorities, Kirkland.
