Someone threw rocks and smashed windows at several LGBTQ organizations and businesses across town over the past week, according to a statement from the Parasol Patrol, an organization that shields young people and their families from anti-LGBTQ attacks.
The businesses included salons, a queer gym, a boutique and the Center on Colfax, one of the largest LGBTQ organizations in the state. Many of the business owners were friends.
The apparent attacks spanned the city, from Washington Park to Southwest Denver to Colfax Avenue and the River North Art District.
A motive has not been determined, though queer-owned businesses say they are on edge and are well aware of the pattern.
“We at Parasol Patrol are deeply alarmed by this escalation in violence toward queer spaces in our city,” wrote Pasha Ripley, Parasol Patrol’s executive director. “These attacks do not resemble random vandalism. They are intimidation designed to push LGBTQIA+ people, families, and especially youth-serving organizations back into fear and isolation.”
While the incidents occurred within the past week, there is no conclusive evidence they were related and a motive has not been stated.
The Denver Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Windows broken at the Joy Movement Collective
When Styler Ells came into their RiNo gym on Friday morning, the Joy Movement Collective, the business’s garage windows had been smashed out or damaged and glass littered the floor. The gym offers sliding-scale fitness classes for the queer community, along with a food pantry and a clothing closet.
At first, Ells assumed a person got drunk and vandalized their building. Then they learned that four of their friends’ queer-owned and queer-positive organizations were also attacked.
“We're very loud and proud,” Ells said. “We're very out in the community. We do a lot of organizing. We do a lot of activism. And a lot of the businesses that did get hit are also the same.”
Still, Ells cautions that a motive has not been determined.
The organization has not had surveillance cameras on the property, though it plans to install them now.
“It's just hard to believe that it isn't some kind of coordinated effort somewhere,” Ells said. “The timing is just too coincidental.”
Vandalism at The Center
Surveillance footage from early Saturday morning shows an individual wearing shorts, a hoodie and a cap walking up to the front door of the Center on Colfax and slamming a rock five times against the windows.
The attacks triggered the alarm system, and the person fled, according to a letter from The Center’s CEO Kim Salvaggio.
Police are investigating the incident, Salvaggio wrote.
“As a community, we know that these moments are not simply random acts of mischief,” Salvaggio wrote. “While we may never know the intent behind this vandalism, we understand it within a broader history of attacks and intimidation that our community has faced.”
The Center boarded up its front windows for repairs and has a security guard present during open hours.
The group painted, “You won’t break our souls,” and “Broken windows never break community,” on the wooden boards covering the windows.
“These messages are not just declarations — they are reflections of our mission: to engage, empower, enrich, and advance the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community of Colorado,” Salvaggio wrote.
John Taylor, the Center’s vice president of development and communication, told Denverite on Monday morning that a suspect has not been identified, though the investigation is ongoing.
Images of the attack have been circulating on social media, and while the perpetrator’s face appears recognizable in the footage, Taylor fears vigilantism and hopes people who think they have identified the suspect notify the Denver Police Department and let the justice system run its course.
“The building feels secure and that's what's important,” Taylor said. “The community is coming together.”
The incidents came just days before the Gay Games’ 2030 location was slated to be announced. Denver was one of the finalists for the gay games, though Perth, Australia won the bid.
At least two of the organizations that were vandalized were involved in the campaign to bring the Gay Games to town.
