Man charged with hate crime over vandalism of cafe; planned drag show canceled
A South suburban man has been charged with felony hate crime and criminal damage to property, accused of vandalizing a Lake in the Hills cafe that was going to host a controversial all-ages drag show dinner Saturday.
Lake in the Hills police say they arrested 24-year-old Joseph I. Collins, of Alsip, after responding to a call at 12:04 a.m. that someone was vandalizing the Uprising Bakery and Cafe at 2104 W. Algonquin Road.
An Algonquin police sergeant saw a suspect run off, and helped arrest Collins.
Collins appeared in McHenry County Circuit Court bond call Saturday morning, where a judge set his bail at $10,000. He will need to post $1,000 to be freed pretrial.
Police said Uprising sustained "significant" damage, including broken windows and "hateful" messages spray-painted on the building.
"The safety and Constitutional rights of everyone are always the Lake in the Hills Police Department's priority. The Police Department is disheartened this happened in our Village, remain steadfast in our commitment to public safety and have zero tolerance to crimes against all members our community," the news release from the police said.
Police had been planning for protests Saturday night at the cafe, because the owner had received threats after announcing it was hosting the event and that children were welcome, as they are at the cafe's other events.
Owner Corinna Sac canceled the show after the vandalism, and the cafe was closed Saturday for cleaning up.
She said she wants to reschedule the show. But she will first consult with village officials, her employees and the performers before making a decision, she said.
Sac posted on Facebook that she did not want to back down from bullies. "It (canceling the show) breaks our hearts," she wrote.
People posted on social media that the bakery was supporting pedophilia and that drag entertainment was not suitable for children. Awake IL, a political organization, wrote posts alerting its members to the show. Sac said she had heard that the Proud Boys planned to protest at the event.
A man had come in to the bakery, yelled at her and employees and spit on the bakery case, Sac said. Someone also posted a sign on a door saying pedophiles worked there, and someone else left a bag of dog feces, Sac said.