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Home » News » News » Washington Teen Faces Ten Years in Prison for Scooter Tracks on a Pride Mural, D.C. Police Make No Arrests for Anti-American Vandalism of U.S. Monuments
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Washington Teen Faces Ten Years in Prison for Scooter Tracks on a Pride Mural, D.C. Police Make No Arrests for Anti-American Vandalism of U.S. Monuments

The juxtaposition of how the two incidents have been handled by the criminal justice system has drawn widespread criticism and mockery on social media.
Seamus OthotBy Seamus OthotJune 11, 2024Updated:June 11, 20247 Comments4 Mins Read7K Views
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Three teenagers were arrested in Washington state last week after they were accused of marking a pride flag painted on a road with small scooter tire tracks.

A few days later, in Washington, D.C., no arrests were made after anti-American and anti-Israel protesters vandalized historic monuments in Lafayette Square, assaulted law enforcement officers on video, and called for the death of America — with dozens of members donning Hamas symbols or espousing Islamic extremist slogans.

The juxtaposition of how the two incidents have been handled by the criminal justice system has drawn widespread criticism and mockery on social media.

Despite the nationwide progressive support for “restorative justice” and forgoing charges for most youth crimes, hardly any left-wing commentators have condemned the charges filed against the young scooter riders.

[RELATED: Cumberland Town Council Votes to Paint Crosswalk Rainbow for Pride Month…

“Anti-American, pro-Hamas thugs desecrated the statues of our veterans literally across the street from the White House, a blatant violation of federal law. On video. I expect the Department of Justice to use every technique against them that it used against grandmas in MAGA hats on January 6. And if it doesn’t now, it will next year,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.

Anti-American, pro-Hamas thugs desecrated the statues of our veterans literally across the street from the White House, a blatant violation of federal law. On video. I expect the Department of Justice to use every technique against them that it used against grandmas in MAGA hats… pic.twitter.com/0eSYzgNjmD

— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) June 9, 2024

The pro-Palestine protests over the weekend were spurred on by an Israeli military operation which rescued four hostages, and which Hamas-controlled Palestinian health officials claim led to the deaths of roughly 200 civilians.

During the protests, statues of President Andrew Jackson and General Marquis de Lafyette, who served alongside George Washington in the Revolutionary War, were vandalized alongside other monuments.

According to a report from the Washington Free Beacon, protesters could be heard explicitly calling for the death of Jews and of America, shouting “Kill another Zionist now,” and graffiting “Hamas is justified,” and “Death to Amerikkka,” on public property.

Video of the protest posted to X by journalist Andy Ngo shows a single park ranger trying to defend a monument being attacked by protesters throwing objects at him.

Outside the White House — A lone U.S. park officer standing next to a monument desecrated by far-left extremists and antifa is assaulted by the violent mob. The extremists gathered for a pro-Hamas protest and have been attacking law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/WPJ7leHHHN

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) June 8, 2024

According to authorities, no arrests were made following the incident, despite the extensive vandalism and reports that rioters were directly harassing police.

The lack of arrests related to the protests is reminiscent of the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots at the in D.C., during which throngs of protesters violently charged the White House.

While D.C. authorities turned a blind eye to the major vandalism and violence from rioters calling for the death of America and the murder of Jews, the teenagers who made minor tire tracks on a pride mural were treated far differently in Washington State.

All three will face felony charges.

The three teens were charged with 1st Degree Malicious Mischief, the same charge one might receive for damaging an airplane to cause a safety risk. pic.twitter.com/lyCtdcd34J

— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) June 11, 2024

The press release from the Spokane, Washington Police Department said that they received calls on Wednesday night that a group of teenagers was driving scooters over the newly painted mural.

[RELATED: South Portland Set to Spend Over $1,500 Painting Crosswalks Rainbow for Pride Month…]

Police interviewed witnesses and reviewed security footage before tracking down and arresting three of the four people reportedly involved.

Two of the suspects arrested were minors, but one, Ruslan Turko, 19, was arrested and booked at the county jail.

Turko faces felony first degree mischief charges, which could come with a 10-year prison sentence and $20,000 fine.

It is unclear what grounds police had for charging him with first degree mischief, since that crime is reserved for people who damage emergency vehicles, tamper with airplanes to cause damage, or cause over $5,000 worth of damage to another property.

Turko neither damaged an emergency vehicle nor tampered with an aircraft, and it seems extremely unlikely that it will cost the city over $5,000 to paint over the tire tracks that he left on the mural.

Following the incident, Lime Scooters, the company which provides scooters to cities for public rentals, condemned the mural vandalism, and is working to set up a no-ride zone around the mural, meaning that the scooters will be disabled if a rider attempts to drive over it.

It is unclear how much this will disrupt travel for everyday scooter users, given that the mural is on the road.

Police across the country have taken strict action against anyone leaving tire tracks on pride murals, which are painted on roads where cars are expected to drive on them.

In Florida, police began a manhunt in an attempt to hunt down someone who left tire tracks after doing droughts on a pride mural.

Police have not yet found the culprit.

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Seamus Othot

Seamus Othot is a reporter for The Maine Wire. He grew up in New Hampshire, and graduated from The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, where he was able to spend his time reading the great works of Western Civilization. He can be reached at [email protected] or ‪(401) 216-9160‬.

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xedeti4074
xedeti4074
1 year ago

For more information about online businesses, go to.… shorturl.re/7dzpp

-6
Sally M. Chetwynd
Sally M. Chetwynd
1 year ago

RE: criminal tire tracks on a mural painted ON A ROAD (a public way!) – Why aren’t the drivers of all vehicles using that road being arrested and punished? Aren’t their actions also felonies? What about pedestrians? Are they equally subject to arrest? What if their shoes leave scuff marks, as the soles of some brands do? Are we all to go barefoot?

Perhaps the “muralists” should be arrested for defacing a public way (likely without a permit, because the “prideful” have license to do whatever they like, regardless of law and order).

14
Wyatt King
Wyatt King
1 year ago

‘All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.’

9
RickyTickySavvy
RickyTickySavvy
1 year ago

…low hanging fruit for the donut chasing LEOs!

6
Neecee
Neecee
1 year ago

That’s more jail time than a pedophile

9
Sam
Sam
1 year ago

“In Florida, police began a manhunt in an attempt to hunt down someone who left tire tracks after doing droughts on a pride mural.” Brilliant. Encapsulates our crazy crazy world

2
D.k.
D.k.
1 year ago

As soon as something is put on the ground, and left there, it becomes ephemera. Riding, walking, driving, cycling, etc are all considered normal.activites for any roadway. This entire situation is being manufactured to breed hate and dissent toward Pride and its participants. Those kids did absolutely nothing wrong by dint of simply being kids in a public space. It’s a shameful farce on the part of law enforcement and that town’s local government. We know most violent criminals get less time for far worse and no one is asking for this kind of penalty except those with an agenda to discredit pride celebrants and their community. GROW UP WASHINGTON AND STOP USING CHILDREN FOR RAGE BAIT.

3
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