Two more flags have been stolen from Langley resident Lisa Ebenal, who made headlines last week when a rainbow flag on her front yard was mistakenly removed by a municipal crew.
This time, two flags were stolen on Friday (June 21), one from the front yard of her Aldergrove home, and a second one Ebenal had attached to her fence.
A neighbour91Ƶs security camera captured a person on a bicycle stealing the flag from her fence, and has given the video to the RCMP, she said.
91ƵI was really kind of angry and fed up,91Ƶ is how Ebenal described her immediate reaction.
91ƵI thought, 91Ƶhere we go again.91Ƶ91Ƶ
But then, the owner of the Flag Shop in Vancouver managed to get in touch and offered to donate a box of pride flags, and when Ebenal let her neighbours know about it, the banners were quickly snapped up.
91ƵIt was amazing,91Ƶ she said.
91ƵA whole lot of people showed up.91Ƶ
She said her spirits were lifted by the positive feedback she received both online and in person since the latest theft.
91ƵI got some really nice, supportive comments,91Ƶ she said.
Shortly after Ebenal ran out of flags, another box arrived, with some flags she had ordered online.
Ebenal noted the other rainbow flags, that many of her neighbours began flying to show support, do not appear to have been touched.
91ƵIt91Ƶs just my flags [that were taken].91Ƶ
Her first flag was stolen about two weeks ago.
Then, she replaced her flag in the front yard of her home on Thursday, June 13, only to have it disappear the next day.
When a Township of Langley vehicle was spotted in the area around the time the flag was taken, phone call to the Township at first drew a denial that the municipality would do something like that.
But then, there was a call back that said the flag had been removed by mistake because of an anonymous complaint.
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It was an error, according to a written statement released by the Township.
91ƵThe Township received a complaint about a flag covering what was believed to be a Township sign on a street corner indicating the entrance to a named subdivision,91Ƶ the statement said.
91ƵAs signs are not normally placed on private property, a crew responded assuming that the sign was on public property and removed the flag as per standard practice.91Ƶ
When they subsequently received another call that the sign was on private property, the statement said the crew 91Ƶpromptly returned the flag to the property owner and verbally apologized.91Ƶ
Steps will be taken to prevent a repeat, the statement promised.
91ƵThe Township regrets the distress our confusion may have caused to the residents and neighbors and going forward will remind crews to check property locations of signs prior to taking action.91Ƶ
Ebenal said the decorative ground-level sign was put up by the developer of the subdivision.
91ƵIt was the show home,91Ƶ she explained.
91ƵWhen I bought it, they offered to take it down and I said, leave it.91Ƶ
She noted the sign was located well back on her front lawn, behind a garden.
91ƵIt91Ƶs recessed on my property,91Ƶ Ebenal observed.
91ƵThey [the crew] certainly acted without doing due diligence,91Ƶ she added.
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Ebenal has accepted an invitation from Surrey Pride to tell her story at an public event in that city next Saturday.
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Is there more to this story?
Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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