MILWAUKEE — The window of a Bay View bar displaying different pride flags was damaged Sunday night when someone threw a rock through the glass.
The Sugar Maple, located off Lincoln Avenue and just steps from busy Kinnickinnic Avenue, had its window partially smashed while a bartender was inside closing up for the night.
"It's a scary thing," said Xay Matabele, who is a bartender and the events coordinator at The Sugar Maple.
According to Matabele, the suspect first smacked the window and peered inside before throwing the rock through it.
"There was glass everywhere. Like, the next day we were finding glass everywhere," Matabele said.
The LGBTQ+ supportive bar dedicated one of their front windows to celebrating pride with a pride flag, trans pride flag, and poster.
This is leading staff to believe this might have been a targeted attack rather than random vandalism.
"It's kind of hard to think that it wouldn't be. I think the fact that they, like, you know, addressed, like smack the window and addressed it and they peered in," Matabele said. "Also, the fact that there are other window options that don't have as much like pride symbolism along with them."
Milwaukee police were on scene Tuesday investigating the incident. While surveillance video didn't capture the exact moment the window was broken, footage provided to TMJ4 shows a potential suspect or suspects walking by around the exact time of the incident.
The Milwaukee Police Department did not confirm if they are investigating this as a hate crime.
Watch: Staff shaken after Bay View bar window featuring pride display damaged: 'It's a scary thing'
This isn't the first pride-related vandalism reported during Pride Month.
Last week, TMJ4 reported on a couple who had their Pride flag ripped out and stolen from their front yard, an incident that was caught on camera. That suspect remains at large. Another couple reached out to TMJ4 following that story, reporting a similar incident at their home.
Related Coverage: Milwaukee couple encourages vigilance after brazen theft of Pride flag from front yard
Despite the vandalism, The Sugar Maple staff remain committed to providing a welcoming space for all.
"I want people to come here and feel safe and feel welcomed. And, you know, feel proud to come here. We're proud to be able to offer this place to people in our community, and we just want to keep doing that," Matabele said.
The bar has been appreciative of all of the community support. They've launched a GoFundMe to help cover expenses for the damaged window.
This story was reported on-air by Mike Beiermeister 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.
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