Updated 2:50 PM December 20, 2019: Other news outlets indicate the man’s prior offenses may have played a role in his enhanced sentence as well. They also fail to guarantee everyone equal protection under the law.Īll of this simply goes to show why Arkansas does not need a hate crimes law. Hate crimes laws encourage courts to punish criminals for their beliefs rather than simply for their actions. Stories like these underscore how hate crimes laws create unequal penalties for crimes. The sentence for those crimes likely would be a year or two in jail - not 16.
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Martinez was originally charged with disorderly conduct and reckless use of fire. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily. 30-year-old Adolfo Martinez stole a gay flag from a church in Ames, Iowa and set it on fire in front of a gay bar a few blocks away while shouting threats. Also stealing a flag is not a hate crime that’s petty theft. Since he burned a flag owned by someone else it’s vandalism.
#Burning the gay flag a hate crime free
Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. northny said: If the person had purchased and burned a rainbow flag that he owned it would be free speech. Court records list him as a habitual offender, allowing him to be sentenced to. He faced a maximum of five years in prison for the hate crime and arson charge and a maximum of a year and month for the other two charges, according to Iowa sentencing guidelines. When a soldier heads into combat, the flag is in his eyes, heart and head. The flag represents our nation and our people. Burning the rainbow flag means that you hate the LGBTQXYZ (trying to be inclusive here) community. The best reason that I have heard, Max answered before me. In court Tuesday, a Douglas County judge released a hate crime suspect on his own recognizance. 15 years for burning a gay pride flagThe penalty DOES NOT fit the crime. The flag, to us, is what we put our lives on the line for. Answer (1 of 7): There are many reasons for this, none of them make especially good sense.
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He might have been charged with theft, reckless use of fire, or even harassment, but not a hate crime. Gay flag-burning suspect released on own recognizance.
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If this man had stolen and burned an American flag, he would not have been convicted of a hate crime, and he probably would not have been sentenced to 16 years in jail. The Washington Times reports that an Iowa man who stole an LGBT flag from a church and set the flag on fire has been sentenced to 16 years in jail.įifteen years of that sentence are due to the fact that prosecutors deemed stealing and burning a gay pride flag as a hate crime.