VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Several homophobic slurs were written on the Pride flag walkways at Virginia Beach's ViBe Creative District, prompting Virginia Beach Police to open an investigation.
That graffiti included variations of the f-word, a drawing of male genitalia, and the words "Trump 2028."
“Don’t kill the vibe," said Wave Riding Vehicles General Manager David Lewis. The business sits at the intersection. The ViBe Creative District is an area known for being supportive of the LGBTQ community.
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"We’ve created a nice district here and just try to keep everything upbeat and happy for everybody," said Lewis.
Virginia Beach City Councilman Michael Berlucchi posted photos of the slurs on social media.
"I can't believe this is Virginia Beach," Berlucchi wrote in a post. "I am deeply disappointed to see hateful graffiti defacing our crosswalk. Hate has no home here. Love and unity will always be stronger."
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“When I learned about the graffiti, a little bit of sadness, frustration," Berlucchi said in an interview with News 3 Tuesday night at the crosswalks.
Berlucchi has a personal connection to them. He was president of Hampton Roads Pride when the group was leading the effort to create them.
“Speech like this doesn’t represent the community that I’m proud, and so grateful to live in and to serve," Berlucchi said.
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In a statement, Virginia Beach police say, in part, "A police report has been completed, and the incident is currently under active investigation.”
This comes one day after News 3 reported on new data from Virginia State Police showing a big increase in hate crimes in Virginia in 2024 compared to 2023.
News 3 asked VBPD if the graffiti is being investigated as a hate crime but police did not answer the question.
Watch: Hate crimes are on the rise in Virginia, new state police report shows
Berlucchi has two messages for the suspect or suspects.
“The first one is, learn how to spell. The second one is, especially this time of year, Santa’s watching," Berlucchi said.
Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to call VBPD at 757-385-5000, Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or submit a tip via P3Tips.com.
