Story at a glance
- After Black Lives Matter protests, Florida passed a controversial bill aimed at quelling protests and “combating public disorder.”
- One of the first people prosecuted under that law may now be a young Trump supporter.
- The suspect, who turned himself in, vandalized a memorial to the LGBTQ+ community on the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
When Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers passed an “anti-riot” law earlier this year, Democrats largely protested the legislation, concerned it would infringe on Americans’ right to protest. Now, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council is asking prosecutors to invoke the law after a Pride-themed intersection was vandalized earlier this month.
“It seems obvious to me the elements of the crime were met one by one,” Rand Hoch, president and founder of the Palm Beach County HRC, told a local news outlet. “It shocked me. I mean really this is not something we expected at all. He was doing it to make a statement that he thought he could drive all over the LGBTQ community.”
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Delray Beach police arrested and charged Alexander Jerich, 20, with criminal mischief over $1,000, reckless driving and evidence of prejudice after he turned himself in to police. After attending a birthday rally for former President Trump, Jerich was seen “doing what appeared to be an intentional ‘burnout’ with his vehicle over the LGBTQ pride crosswalk,” said police.
One witness, a gay man and community member, told police he saw the white Chevy truck had a “Trump flag” leaning off the tailgate and heard another man yell to the driver, “Adam, tear up that gay intersection.” Witnesses took smartphone video of the crime, which caused “significant damage” to the memorial.
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The public art installation was unveiled on June 12, the five-year anniversary of the Pulse shooting in Orlando when a gunman killed 49 people and injured dozens of others at a gay nightclub.
“The Pride Streetscape is about solidarity, inclusion, and visibility; a proud celebration of our city’s diversity,” Mayor Shelly Petrolia said in a release ahead of Pride Month.
The design incorporates all the colors of the Progress Pride Flag, including the six colors of the rainbow flag and five additional colors representing LGBTQ+ people of color as well as the transgender and nonbinary members of the community. The attack, which occurred on Latin Night, was felt deeply by the LGBTQ+ community, which has suffered disproportionately during the coronavirus pandemic and remains the target of hate crimes.
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Published on Jun 24,2021