Buffalo's Somali flag stolen from city hall as mayor cancels 4th of July fireworks saying they'll have a display in August

Not long after announcing that the city would not be going forward with a fireworks display to celebrate the Fourth of July, the city of Buffalo, New York had a Somali flag that was raised in front of City Hall stolen. 

Mayor Sean Ryan announced the theft on Facebook, writing, "The City of Buffalo’s flagpole in Niagara Square sustained damage after unknown vandals broke the access panel, cut the cable, and removed the Somali flag during the overnight hours of Wednesday, July 1." 

Ryan said the flag had been raised by the Heal International organization in honor of Somali Independence Day, which took place on Wednesday. He said that the organization had raised the flag outside City Hall to mark the day for at least the last four years.

"The flagpoles in Niagara Square are available for use by the public, and over the years a variety of organizations have flown flags there, including those representing Ukraine, Greece, Ireland, Puerto Rico, the Karen community, Italy, Bangladesh, and more," he explained. The Karen community is an ethnic group in Southeast Asia. 

"Buffalo is a proud, diverse city, and our administration remains committed to honoring and celebrating the many cultures that make our community stronger," he concluded. He said that the city’s police department is investigating the matter.

The raising of the Somali flag outside of City Hall came just days before Americans will mark the United States’ 250th birthday. Many cities around the country will mark the day with events including fireworks displays, including one that is expected to break records in the nation’s capital, however, Buffalo will not be one of them. 

The city confirmed on Tuesday that the event would not be moving forward, less than a month after Ryan had promised the event would take place, per WRGZ. The mayor’s press office said in a statement that the event was canceled because "an appropriate site could not be identified that would provide a safe and widely accessible viewing experience for residents."

Ryan claimed that while the city hosts an annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display, it hadn’t held a Fourth of July display in at least a "generation," and that a pyrotechnics company that had been lined up by restaurateur and philanthropist Russ Salvatore, who agreed to pay for the show, expressed concerns about launching fireworks near City Hall. 

Ryan said, "The fireworks vendor started raising real questions about, you know, when you put these fireworks up, canisters drop down."

Fireworks will be taking place in the city in August, with the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park hosting an event recognizing the day the last of the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. Those fireworks are going to be launched from a barge in the river. 

When asked why the city didn’t do the same thing for the Fourth of July, Ryan said, "I didn't want to do them on the barge in the river because we're already doing them August 2 on the barge in the river."