It was the day of the Akron Pride festival and vendors were excited for a successful day, celebrating LGBTQ+ individuals and families. But everything got turned upside-down when Ohio fire crews decided it was a good time to empty a fire hydrant. What happened next was extreme flooding that stopped multiple vendors from selling their wares.
TikTok user @Valkrane is an artist and author who was trying to sell her wares at Akron’s Pride festival. The festival was on a Saturday and everybody was out having a good time. Unfortunately, that good time didn’t last. Val says they were “setting up” and “things were going fantastic” at her stand. But then the city of Akron decided to “empty a fire hydrant” out of nowhere. They typically do this on weekdays, but this time it was done during the festival.
Val pans her camera around the vendor booth, which is flooded. Water is pouring in from all angles, leaving ankle-deep water in their tent. Someone from the festival comes to check on them, and Val says they’re perfectly fine. But you can hear a man off-screen telling the woman, “Yeah, a heads up would have been great!” Val shows her table cover, which got soaked in the flooding. They had electrical wiring in their tent, and they were lucky to pull it out before the water got too deep.
The video immediately sparked reactions from concerned and annoyed viewers as one commenter pointed out, “On a Saturday morning, not even a regular work day for city employees. That was 1000% intentional.” Another commenter added, “There should have been a notice given prior to flushing. If there wasn’t that is definitely a targeted harassment. I would file a report and list any damages incurred.”
Other commenters, however, agreed with the city flushing on that particular day. They said it was a “sign” since the Pride festival was in town. As one commenter stated, “A sign from our Father in Heaven” that the festival shouldn’t have happened. One commenter replied to this, “As a Christian myself, your hate of other people doesn’t help your causes.” Commenters continue to share their reactions and opinions on Val’s video at this time.
