When vandals destroyed a couple's pride flag, the neighborhood put up 40 more
It's uncommon for people to talk to their neighbors nowadays, but Cari and Lauri Ryding feel so lucky to know theirs.
When the married couple recently came back from vacation to their home in Natick, Massachusetts, they discovered that their home had been vandalized. Their front porch had been egged and their rainbow pride flag stolen. The couple was crushed, so neighbors decided to show support by putting up their own rainbow flags.
More than 40 pride flags were posted in total -- on fences, over driveways, doors and front porches.
Cari Ryding first moved to the neighborhood 23 years ago. She always loved the feel of the community, and raised two children there. Four years ago, her partner Lauri moved in, and was immediately welcomed.
"I was embraced,” Lauri told The Boston Globe. “Our relationship was embraced.”
It came as a total shock to the couple to find that their home had been vandalized. The couple told The Boston Globe that it was their first experience of prejudice in the neighborhood.
The Rydings had put up their pride flag to show support after the Orlando massacre.
After neighbor Maura Gaughan heard of the crime, she decided to responded by putting up a pride flag. Not just on her house, but everywhere.
"The first thing when I heard about it. Alright, I’m going to put up a flag. We should all put up flags," Gaughan told WCVB.
Other neighbors felt and responded similarly. The group ordered flags from the Rainbow Peace Flag Project, a local organization that gives them away for free. On Sunday, a group of neighborhood children on bicycles cycled from house to house to distribute the flags.
While the crime initially made the Rydings anxious about their neighborhood, their neighbors' response encouraged them to stay.
"What they did completely overshadowed that fear and we are just overwhelmed with the kindness and generosity," Ryding told The Boston Globe.
These are neighbors you can count on.
BONUS: Corgi tea party
Topics LGBTQ
Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
