FBI offers $5,000 for information on Pride doors

The Seattle division of the FBI is offering up to a $5,000 reward for information regarding vandalism to a Pride door display that was damaged twice with explosive devices.

According to a press release from the FBI’s Seattle Office, anyone with information is asked to contact law enforcement. Contact the FBI’s Seattle Field Office at 206-622-0460, Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or report anonymously at tips.fbi.gov. You may also contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

At 2:30 a.m., June 19 a person or group of people used explosive devices to damage the doors, that read “God’s doors are open to all,” located at United Christian Church in Renton. It’s also likely those involved wrote “Leviticus 20:13” on one of the doors. This incident prompted the investigation.

Previously, the doors were knocked down the evening of June 13, and the “All” door was defaced around 10 p.m., June 16.

In all incidents, community members and congregation members of the church gathered to repair or replace the broken display in a move of resiliency. Then on June 21 over 100 people gathered outside the church for a prayer vigil in response to the attacks, with religious leaders, neighbors and the like coming together to support the church.

Renton’s first official Pride Month has been celebratory for most, but also met with some protest, particularly with the door display and several King County Library System events, including a Teen Pride event and a Drag Queen Story Hour.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Seattle Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Seattle Field Division and the Renton Police Department.