The signs belonged to the Monster Bar on Grove Street, and the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is looking for the suspect in the incident that happened just after 5 a.m. on June 16.
The knife was brandished in front of a 36-year-old employee but nobody was injured and the suspect fled down West Fourth Street.
Eyewitness News obtained exclusive video of the man trashing the signs and throwing them into the street.
David Coss, a bartender at the bar, said he has seen displays of hate over the years involving people vandalizing flags from the park near the bar.
"We've had that happen like a whole bunch of times. And this was just like another incident but it could have been so much worse," Coss said.
Coss says that the current political climate has not made things any easier.
"I think of political things also, but they've been always been around -- these kinds of people that hate or don't like the others," Coss added.
This past week, the U.S.N.S Harvey Milk -- named after the pioneering gay rights activist and Navy Veteran -- was renamed amid a Trump administration crackdown on DEI.
"But we're still here and we've been here since '82 -- and we're not going anywhere," Coss added.
As people gather at the iconic Stonewall National Monument ahead of Sunday's Pride March, they are choosing to celebrate LGBTQ+ rights a little harder.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More Manhattan news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
"It's just the community and being able to be like our authentic self. And just to celebrate with everyone. I mean we've overcome so much and there's still so much going on." says Kim Schwarz.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More Manhattan news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.