Posted on 09/20/2017 7:07:44 PM PDT by TigerClaws
An Illinois man will be awarded thousands of dollars after he settled his lawsuit against the Urbana Police Department, which arrested him last year after he posted a photo of himself burning the American flag. After the settlement, he again shared on social media a photo of himself with the flag on fire.
Bryton Mellott, Urbana, will receive $15,000, plus an additional $20,000 for legal fees in the settlement, the AP reports. Mellottwho was represented by the American Civil Liberties Unionwas arrested on July 4 of last year. He was reportedly detained for five hours, but charges were not filed. Mellott sued the department's four arresting officers.
He posted the photo of himself on Facebook holding the flag ablaze on July 3, 2016 with the hashtag #youbetterburnthatflag. It has been shared more than 20,000 times. He also reportedly wrote he's "not proud to be an American," mentioning "atrocities" committed against minorities, though those words seem to have been edited.
Mellott was arrested under the Illinois' flag desecration law, but those state laws were essentially rendered obsolete when the Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that the act falls under the category of protected free speech, in Texas v. Johnson.
In the wake of the settlement on Monday, Mellot again posted a photo that appeared to show him holding a burning flag, with the words "eff ur flag."
photo of gay looking guy burning our flag
http://chicagoist.com/2017/09/19/man_arrested_for_burning_flag_gets.php
I wonder what Little Bill would make of this hippie burning the flag on Independence day. I think the Duck of Death would be unpleased.
I believe in the right to burn the American flag.
I believe that right should only be exercised between 2200-2400 in the parking lot of a VFW or American Legion Post.
First the flag gets fired up, then the burner gets fired up.
Proud moron....
Surprised that he even got arrested.
It’s Urbana, after all.
The morons arrested him resulting in a rights violation and gift of taxpayer funds.
If he’s not proud to be an American, then get the hell out.
That’s duke, DUKE!
[thanks for the reference!]
Any relation to Bill Ayers?
Duck, I says.
(you're welcome.)
Seems like potential arson to me.
I'll hang up and take your answers off-air.
One state had a “punch the flag burner” statute where the most you’d face in punishment was a $25 fine.
wondering how much the 4 cops got of the $15k myself...
I like it. I will go to Sacramento to lobby the Enemycrats to adopt this wonderful law.
I will seek an addendum that will provide a stern talking to in the case of severely handicapping an ANTIFAG.
As a person who hails from the Chicago suburbs and went to school in Urbana-Champaign, may I say that 1. I live in Canada and am quite proud of the country of my birth, and 2. Two, you are an idiot. You are blessed to have been born in the greatest country on Earth.
Try moving to North Korea and burning their flag. Don't think you'd see the light of day for quite some time.
It may or may not violate his privacy rights...but I know one thing. No one here is going to rat you out.;)
p.s., just use some Internet cafe to do it. Not your home computer. LOL! (p.s., this a joke; not advocating violence against an idiot).
Oh boy...
He’s a member of the Flaming Grannies.
I’m sure he’s going to be a big success in life and will die alone in some back alley with a needle in his arm.
No American flag for his casket. They don’t give it to cowards and traitors.
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