On the morning of June 26, staff arrived to find MAGA stickers placed across the front of the Reclaim building, some directly over a Pride flag. The act, discovered during the final week of Pride Month, was reported to Snoqualmie police and interpreted as an attempt to intimidate both staff and those they serve.
Reclaim is a shelter and community resource that serves unhoused individuals and families throughout the Snoqualmie Valley. Focused on harm reduction, stability, and connection, the organization provides year-round services to people experiencing poverty, housing insecurity, and behavioral health challenges.
After the incident, Reclaim issued a statement describing the act as one meant to intimidate and to send a message that the people they care for do not deserve visibility, safety, or love. Rather than retreating, the organization said the event only strengthened its resolve to grow deeper roots in love, resistance, and collective survival.
The organization describes itself as a life-saving agency grounded in meeting people where they are. From the outset, it has emphasized building strong, lasting relationships with clients, including those navigating behavioral health challenges.


Staff viewed the placement of the stickers, especially over the Pride flag, as intentional and symbolic. It was not seen as random, but as a message that they do not belong. At the same time, the organization described it as proof that their visibility and care for everyone is making an impact, and that makes some people uncomfortable.
While the message was unwelcome, Reclaim chose not to retreat or remain silent. Staff reiterated their commitment to standing with the communities they serve and continuing their work without apology.
Executive Director Jen Kirk said, “Honestly, I felt sadness and frustration, not for myself, but for those we serve and employ, who already feel like targets in so many ways. But I also felt clarity. This incident reinforces why our work is so vital, and it deepens Reclaim’s commitment to stand in solidarity with our communities. We will not be intimidated into removing anything from our building or in our messaging that promotes equality, safety, or celebration of anyone’s existence. The only thing those MAGA stickers, and the person behind them, succeeded in doing was to deepen our commitment to our mission and the community we serve. Every gender. Every race. Every human.”
In the days following the incident, Reclaim received an outpouring of support from individuals across the Snoqualmie Valley. Staff described the response as deeply moving, with many people reaching out directly and others showing solidarity through social media. This show of community backing, they said, is one of the reasons so many choose to live and work in the Valley.



Stef Zandell, a benefits advocate at Reclaim, reflected on the incident from a personal perspective. “At first, I didn’t put too much thought into the immature act that happened at Reclaim. However, after a bit of reflection, I do take this personally in regard to the pride flags because I am a part of that demographic. I moved to this small town with just a bit of hesitation on how the community would feel to me after living in the Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland area for over 5 years. I grew up in a small town, and Snoqualmie has felt like home. It saddens me that this happened, and I hope the community grows through this without hate to any side, if there is a side.”
The organization emphasized that acts of support do not have to be grand to be meaningful. Volunteers, donors, and advocates all play a role in helping them continue their work. Reclaim encouraged residents to act in whatever ways feel authentic, whether by calling out hate, supporting inclusive policies, or backing local organizations such as SnoValley Pride. Above all, they said, continued visibility and compassion matter, especially for those who are often pressured to remain unseen.
The incident was reported to the Snoqualmie Police Department. Staff described the response as procedural. Officers took a report, but given the limited physical damage and lack of identifying information, no further steps are expected.
Reclaim reviewed its existing security measures and determined that its camera system did not capture the individual responsible for the incident. In response, the organization has since installed additional cameras to improve coverage and ensure that any future incidents can be properly documented.
Although the act left a strong impression, staff said it also served as a reminder that their efforts are being seen. Visibility, while sometimes met with discomfort or hostility, is part of the impact they hope to have.
Reclaim continues to stand by the values that have guided its work since opening more than a decade ago. Staff remain committed to the mission of providing stability, opportunity, and connection to those they serve.
Comments
It is too bad that the response to the presence of people in our lives with their whole selves is just hate.
Hate for those who are different from us.
Hate for those who do not believe like us.
Hate for those who do not live like us.
But it is more than just “too bad.” These actions are corrosive to our communities and our neighborhoods, eroding not just our trust in one another but also breaking the bonds we _must_ have as human beings who thrive in social settings.
Beyond “too bad,” these actions come from beliefs that are corrosive to our very souls, and while these beliefs feed our need feel important when we feel we are ignored, they are destructive beliefs to our real need for authentic, whole community where we – along with everyone else! – are seen for the value they bring to the lives of everyone.
We will never have enough to reach everyone with the freedom of being. Some people need to make others small, or make them unwanted, or make them go away, to feel important.
But we can work to make as many as people as possible understand that when we value one another, we build a common fabric of care that helps us all to thrive – and helps us identify what it going on when there are some who are still so broken that their response to change is hate and destruction and fear.
We _can_ all be better than this, and what’s good about this is that often many of us are better than this.
These actions by an individual or a group are actions of people who need to feel as if they have control over the most vulnerable. But perhaps it is these people who are the most in need of love and care to help them heal from centering their lives on hate.