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Boston grocery store owner feels uplifted by community after Pride flag was ripped down

By
Logan Hall
Logan Hall
Logan Hall is an Emmy award-winning reporter who joined WBZ-TV in November 2024.
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Logan Hall

/ CBS Boston

A boutique market and cafe owner was shocked when she arrived at her Boston shop to discover that her Pride flag had been ripped down.

Kelly Walsh, the owner of Russ and Mimi's, a boutique market and cafe on Birch Street in Roslindale, thought the flag had been blown out by the wind.

"But as I approached the building, I saw that the bracket was actually broken and on the sidewalk. So I immediately thought, OK, that was maybe an intentional act," Walsh said.

The flag was found in a nearby dumpster.

Walsh took to Facebook, not expecting a big reaction, only to ask if anyone had seen what happened. What followed was an overwhelming outpouring of love and support from the Roslindale community.

"I didn't even know that all of these people became aware of what happened," she said. "It was really just a naïve little Facebook post."

Does not represent the neighborhood

One week after the flag was ripped down, Mayor Michelle Wu and City Councilmember Enrique Pepén stopped by the shop to show solidarity with Walsh and the LGBTQ community.  

Councilmember Pepén emphasized that the incident does not reflect the values of Roslindale.

"This was not at all something that really represents us, so it hit home. It made us very sad," he said. "But these types of incidents really do get the community together and show support for anyone that's impacted, and that's exactly what happened here."

Despite the vandalism, Walsh says that the response from community members has left her feeling more at home than ever.

"I don't know if the phrase is 'silver lining,'" she said. "But when something happens and it makes you question humanity and people, the hate that they have in their hearts, and everybody just surrounds you with love and support, it just makes you feel like, 'You know what? They got me. I'm in a good place.'"

She plans to have a new pride flag displayed as early as next week. 

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