Two California residents from Martinez have been charged with a hate crime after disagreeing with Black Lives Matter.
Did they call Black Lives Matter protesters the “N” word? Did they hurl racist epithets at people of color? Perhaps they posted something really nasty on Facebook?
No. They covered over a small section of a Black Lives Matter mural and were heard saying “All lives matter.”
UPDATE: 2 Martinez residents charged with hate crime for defacing #BlackLivesMatter per Contra Costa County D.A.'s office
Both face up to a year in county jail if convicted. https://t.co/z9JYp5T4Ol
— KTVU (@KTVU) July 7, 2020
“We must address the root and byproduct of systemic racism in our country. The Black Lives Matter movement is an important civil rights cause that deserves all of our attention,” District Attorney Diana Becton said.
The mural was perfectly legal. A local resident obtained a permit to paint it. Defacing it or trying to cover it is a crime — the misdemeanor crime of vandalism.
But Nicole Anderson, 42, and David Richard Nelson, 53 now face a year in jail because they have become victims of the hysteria and fear to grip the United States.
Cellphone video recorded by a witness allegedly showed Anderson using black paint and a roller brush to cover over the mural, specifically the letters “B” and “L” in the word “Black” on the Fourth of July.
A heated confrontation ensued between supporters of the mural and Nelson, who was allegedly heard yelling “All lives matter!”
You can’t say that in the New America. It doesn’t acknowledge the “systemic racism” in the country or treat blacks as victims.
The two were charged with violation of civil rights, vandalism under $400, and possession of tools to commit vandalism or graffiti, according to the district attorney’s office.
Painting “Black Lives Matter” on a street is a partisan political act. It has nothing to do with “civil rights.” Black Lives Matter may be seen and think of themselves as a civil rights organization but expressing a partisan political position is not protected under the Civil Rights Act. It’s protected by the First Amendment and by laws governing property but it’s a legal stretch to define the couple’s action as a “hate crime.”
“The mural completed last weekend was a peaceful and powerful way to communicate the importance of Black lives in Contra Costa County and the country,” Becton said. “We must continue to elevate discussions and actually listen to one another in an effort to heal our community and country.”
Nonsense. Becton and Black Lives Matter have no intention whatsoever of elevating discussions or listening to any opposing viewpoints. They want to suppress viewpoints that don’t conform to their political beliefs. “Free speech for me but not for thee” was a left-wing complaint in the 1960s.
My oh my how far we’ve come.
Painting over a Black Lives Matter mural is an act of civil disobedience. The vandalism was committed in order to express a political view. It’s not even a very unpopular political viewpoint. It’s a view shared by tens of millions of Americans — black and white: “All Lives Matter.”
But the mob currently in control will brook no opposition. They will continue to flex their power not so much in service to any high-minded political or social agenda, but because they can.
There are some political analysts who believe that actions like this by the mob will re-elect Donald Trump. More likely the backlash will not come peacefully at the ballot box but rather not so peacefully on the streets of America.
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