ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — One week before the Northshore's first Pride parade, the LGBTQ flag at Stephanie Cooke's Mandeville home was stolen and destroyed.
“I was scared. I think over the past month, I’ve been consistently afraid and uncomfortable," Cooke said.
Cooke said a man knocked on her door to tell her that the flag was burned in the road, and they called the police. At the time, Cooke wasn't sure if it was targeted or not.
Detectives with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office obtained a video that shows teenagers burning the flag while making derogatory remarks, according to a press release.
Cooke said she has not seen the video and does not wish to. When she came out as queer a few years ago, she often felt rejected, but this felt different.
“I think the biggest difference was how pointed and violent it was," Cooke said.
On Tuesday, the St. Tammany Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of three Mandeville teenagers.
The two 15-year-olds and 14-year-olds could face misdemeanors of theft, simple criminal damage to property, and hate crimes. The teens have been released to their guardians with an agreement to appear in court, according to STPSO.
Cooke said she did receive an apology from one teen's grandmother who offered to pay to replace the property.
“I told her if she wanted to, she could make a donation to like a queer organization," Cooke said.
Cooke said she and her roommates are not pressing charges and hope the teens grow from the experience.
“Ultimately, I don’t think it matters if it was kids, teenagers, or grown adults, hate is hate. Since they are teenagers, I hope they’re catching it young enough that their families can say we don’t do that, this isn’t right," Cooke said.
The flag was replaced the same day it was stolen by the Northshore Queer community, Cooke said.
A week later, she marched alongside them in the Pride parade, sending a message that she wouldn't back down.
“We were passing out pride flags like you burned one, here’s 50 more," Cooke said.
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