SANTEE, Calif. (KGTV) — A stolen Pride flag in Santee has been recovered thanks to a tip from a viewer of ABC 10News.
The flag’s owners, Bri and her wife, have experienced the theft of Pride flags three times over the past three and a half years.
Bri posted about the theft on social media after it occurred last Sunday.
Surveillance footage showed an individual grabbing the flag and smashing a planter outside her condo off Cuyamaca Street.
"So many things to do in this world. Why choose ugliness? Why choose hate?" Bri said.
After Bri’s story was broadcast, a viewer emailed with a potential location for the missing flag, which led me to a pedestrian bridge and a creek bed near a YMCA in Santee.
One glance to the side of the bridge, and I saw the flag, wedged in some debris.
After a few minutes of searching through the rain-soaked creek bed, I located the flag. It was wet and filled with debris but mostly intact.
Soon after, I returned the flag to Bri, who was eager to display it once again.
After giving the flag a thorough cleaning, Bri reinstated it in its rightful place.
“It’s a badge of survival. You tried, and you didn’t win. The community cared enough to make that happen,” she said.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
