A Santa Ana family says they’re feeling targeted for expressing pride in their heritage after a Mexican flag was ripped off from their home and a threatening note was left in front of the residence.
Carlos Antunez and his parents have proudly displayed a Mexican flag outside of their Santa Ana home of 20 years. The family says it’s a meaningful way to honor their heritage.
“There's never been an issue where somebody couldn't express themselves, right, or we couldn't put up a flag. That was ever something that we even considered,” said Antunez.
On Oct. 21, security cameras outside the Antunez’ home captured a man ripping the Mexican flag and the pole it flew from in their front yard.
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The family initially thought it was an isolated incident but were surprised with a hate note shortly after replacing the flag. The note was wrapped around a rock left in front of their home, warning the Antunez family to take down the flag, written in broken Spanish.
The home was also vandalized with “USA” spray painted on the front fence of the home.
“When we saw this, I was, I was, you're shocked, you're in disbelief, you know, immediately my thought went to, okay, this person, maybe is the same person that stole the flag the first time,” said Antunez.
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The Santa Ana Police Department has launched a hate crime investigation into the theft and vandalism.
“We are concerned about where they will stop, where they will feel sufficient, right? If we don't follow through with the request of taking the flag down, even then, there's no guarantee that this individual would, you know, stop harassing us,” said Antunuez.
Despite safety concerns, Antunez says the flag will stay.
"We stand our ground. We are not looking to escalate or confront this individual, but we will do our best to spread awareness and protect ourselves and the community,” said Antunez
