What did Joseph I. Collins do? Illinois man charged for vandalizing UpRising Bakery that planned to host drag show

The UpRising Bakery & Cafe, which was set to host a family-friendly drag event on Saturday night, was vandalized, according to the Police Department of Lake in the Hills. The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Joseph I. Collins, of Alsip, Illinois, has been charged with two felony counts of hate crime and criminal damage to property.

The windows of the cafe were smashed and hateful graffiti was painted on the building. Following the vandalism, the owner of UpRising, Corinna Sac, canceled the show and closed down the premises on Saturday, July 23.

The Lake in the Hills Police Department were called to the UpRising Bakery at 12:04 am and informed of an ongoing damage to the property. They were also told that the suspect had fled the scene on foot.

Speaking about the incident, the Lake in the Hills Police Department said:

"An Algonquin police sergeant had seen the suspect leave the scene and was instrumental in the incident."

A minute or so later, the man was apprehended by Lake in the Hills cops and the Algonquin police sergeant.

Joseph I. Collins, who stands accused of the hate crime and vandalization of the property, was sent to the McHenry County Correctional Center for his bond hearing. A $10,000 bond was set, and he will need to post $1,000 to be freed pretrial.

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The Drag show performance scheduled at UpRising Bakery had alarmed the neighboring communities

Owing to the vandalization on Saturday, a drag event that was scheduled at the UpRising Bakery & Cafe, located about an hour west of Chicago, had to be canceled.

However, even before the vandalization, people in the area were reportedly not thrilled about the drag show. Authorities claimed that since July 6, they had received letters from concerned residents regarding the July 23 event at UpRising Bakery.

Collins' vandalization was a manifestation of the concern that was already brewing among residents of the neighborhood, who were concerned about kids being invited for the show.

In a press release on July 19, the police said:

"Residents expressed their concerns, citing an advertisement regarding children being allowed to attend the event. Since being notified of the event, the Police Department, along with the Lake in the Hills Community Development Department, contacted the business owner and have been in regular communication regarding the event."

While concerns regarding advertisements claiming that children were welcome at the drag show were brought to the notice of the officials, investigators emphasized that no s*xually explicit content was anticipated during the presentation, implying that children could be in attendance at the event.

The owner of UpRising also reportedly received offline and online threats, police said. Additionally, authorities were informed of the planned protests and counter protests that were allegedly going to take place on the day of the event.

Speaking about the hateful incident, the police department stated:

"We are taking measures to ensure that everyone has the right to engage in peaceful protest. However, we wish to remind everyone that under no circumstances will the Police Department tolerate a disruption of this event or any activity that disrupts the peace."

The department went on to say that they would follow "a zero-tolerance approach" for anyone attending the event either with the intention of disrupting it or for engaging in violent or criminal acts during the course of the show.