Progress Pride flags have been stolen from yards in Des Moines over the past two weeks. The flags are from Project Rainbow of Iowa, which distributes Progress Pride flags to people in Polk County and the surrounding area, so they can fly them at their homes to show support for the LGBTQ community during Pride Month.
“Unfortunately, we got our first report of stolen flags within 24 hours of putting out the first round of flags,” Nick Klinkefus, founder of Project Rainbow of Iowa, told Little Village. “We started delivery on Memorial Day, but the next day, two different flags had been stolen, so we replaced them as quickly as we could.”
As the thefts have continued, Project Rainbow has continued to replace the flags.
Project Rainbow of Iowa was founded last year. The Des Moines-based nonprofit is an all-volunteer effort that distributes Progress Pride flags already mounted on a PVC pipe that functions as a flagpole at the beginning of June. The volunteers who deliver the flag will also set up the seven-and-a-half-foot tall flagpole in a person’s yard. At the end of the month, the volunteers collect the flags and poles, which go back into storage to be used again the following year.
In addition to providing a way to celebrate Pride Month, Project Rainbow of Iowa also raises money for other nonprofits working on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Reserving a flag requires a $15 donation, and Project Rainbow will pass on the proceeds from those donations to the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund and Iowa Safe Schools.
As a story in this month’s Little Village about Project Rainbow explains, during its first year, the nonprofit distributed about 35 flags. This year, it’s distributed more than 250. With that remarkable growth has come an increase in flag thefts.
“It did happen last year, but it was such a small number that we didn’t address it seriously,” Klinkefus said. “This year we’re seeing it at a higher rate and it seems more people are involved in it.”
As of Tuesday morning, there had been 27 reports of the stolen flags.
“We’re expecting that when we start picking up flags at the end of the month, we’ll find a lot more have gone missing because people don’t always tell us when a flag is taken,” Klinkefus said.
A few of the homeowners who have had flags stolen have shared doorbell video footage of the thefts with Project Rainbow.
“Some of the doorbell camera footage that we’ve seen shows the thieves driving up quickly, running out and grabbing the flag and pole, then driving off,” Klinkefus said. “They move very quickly.”
“There was one neighborhood where there was a cluster of thefts along a street, and the video shows it was the same people who did all of those,” he continued. “All those flags got replaced that same night — one of our board members lives on that street — and the thieves came back later that night and stole all the replacement flags, as well as the Project Rainbow yard signs our board members have out in front of their houses.”
The thefts are putting an additional burden on Project Rainbow, but it’s not discouraging the group’s members, Klinkefus said.
“It was always expected. It’s just disappointing when those expectations are fulfilled,” he said. “But if anything, it just shows the importance of continuing to do this work.”
Klinkefus said the flags Project Rainbow distributes are a publicly visible statement “to show people that there is support for them, and a place for them in this state.”
The cost of replacing the 3’ by 5′ flags is starting to mount. Project Rainbow is asking that anyone interested in helping it with the extra expenses to consider making a donation through its site.
“If others are trying to take down these flags, to silence our support, it just validates our mission, and shows that we need to keep going,” Klinkefus said.
