Vallejo gay bar and adjacent business displaying Pride flags vandalized, threatened

VALLEJO — Prominent LGBTQ+ bar the Townhouse Cocktail Lounge and an adjacent storefront displaying Pride flags were vandalized on two consecutive nights last week. 

The assailant broke several windows in attacks that appear to have been premeditated. He was caught on surveillance video breaking the windows about half an hour after the Townhouse closed on both Wednesday and Thursday night. The assailant in the video wore a mask and had taped over the logo on his hoodie,

The Townhouse prides itself on being the only openly gay bar in Solano County, and the storefront is a workshop where the lounge’s owners produce leather Pride flags.

No further damage occurred on Friday night. Townhouse owner Jeff Linn said that a man showed up in front of the bar on Saturday and told him and his partner Andrew Pembroke, “I'm gonna come back tonight and break the rest of your shit.”  

“We chased after him, took some [photos] of him, and he got pissed and chased after Andy,” Linn said.

Linn said that he recognized him as a man who had been hanging around on a bench outside the bar earlier on Wednesday, and threw a can they use as an ashtray through  the open front door of the bar.

Linn isn’t sure if the ashtray thrower is also the window breaker. He noticed from the surveillance video of vandalism that the two men wore different shoes. But because of the threat, Linn said he now thinks they are the same person. 

When Linn discovered the first round of damage on Thursday morning, he called police and showed them the video in which the vandal, who was not wearing gloves, threw what turned out to be a brass padlock through a window. Linn said that the police who took the report told him they wouldn’t be able to get prints from the padlock, which still sits inside the window display area next to shards of glass.

Since the Town House doesn’t lock up precisely at the same time each night, Linn said he thinks the vandal had been watching the lounge and carefully planned his attacks.

The video from Wednesday night shows that the vandal appeared to have difficulty breaking the lounge’s windows. The video from Thursday only shows a man with the same build and clothing leaving the scene, but the holes in the workshop windows appear to have been made by a hammer, which Linn concluded that the vandal brought with him to inflict more damage.

Linn said he called the non-emergency Vallejo Police Department number after the Townhouse was threatened on Saturday and no one answered. He said he will call 911 if anything happens again.

Linn added that it would be nice if the police showed more interest. “I can even specify time, half an hour after we close,” he said. “Drive by, park for a few minutes, see what happens.” 

A Vallejo police spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

The vandal has not given a reason for his actions, but Linn suspects that either he and his partner are the targets, or the actions were a hate crime triggered by the vibrant display of Pride flags at both locations.

Linn said that the worst anti-LGBTQ+ acts they usually experience are slurs people shout from their cars as they drive by. 

“I would say that the frequency is definitely higher after Trump got in office,” Linn said. “With all the legislation that's happening against trans people and trying to get rid of gay rights, and even looking at dissolving gay marriages, it feeds into it. It's like the haters are emboldened.”

Linn’s insurance doesn’t cover the window damage, but a GoFundMe has already raised over $6,400. “Luckily, we have a very supportive community,” Linn said.