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Florida teen hit with felony charge for spinning tires on LGBTQ Pride crosswalk

February 14, 2024 | | Print Article

A Florida teen’s tire tracks landed him in lockup and charged with a felony as alphabet activists cried “hate crime” over marring a crosswalk.

In what could readily be called “Burnout 2: Pride Boogaloo,” footage from a Delray Beach, Florida intersection put a young adult behind bars for vandalizing a “symbol of unity and inclusivity,” i.e. the rainbow-patterned street.

According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, 19-year-old Dylan Brewer of Clearwater turned himself in after authorities, “received multiple reports from concerned citizens who witnessed Brewer engaging in these destructive acts. Several witnesses provided smartphone video of the crime.”

Libs of TikTok shared one video of the Feb. 4 incident and wondered at the charges of felony criminal mischief over $1,000 and reckless driving and whether the same standard would have applied to other symbols if this was simply because the rainbow represented “the new state religion.”

“Imagine if it was a MAGA mural…he would receive a reward! Leftist groups like BLM and Antifa destroyed our county for months and barely faced consequences. Why aren’t most of them arrested and charged for billions in damages they causes?” wrote Libs. “LGBTQ pride is the new state religion and opposition will be met with serious consequence.”

While not charged with a hate crime, many pushed for it to be treated as such, including the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council founder and president Rand Hoch who told WPEC, “Our organization and another organization paid for this. We paid $16,000. So, the question is, are we victims or is it just the municipality?”

Previously, then-20-year-old Alexander Jerich was ordered to write a 25-page essay on the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting, to pay a $2,003 fine and had faced two years of probation after burning out in the same intersection in June 2021 three days after the intersection had a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“The judge recently said, ‘you don’t even have to fill out the two years, you’re fine now,'” said Hoch. “This is not the message we want to send people when it comes to hate crimes.”

Brewer was released on $5,250 bond Tuesday as police said his actions “caused significant damage to the streetscape painting, which serves as a symbol of unity and inclusivity for the LGBTQ community.”

Meanwhile, the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s office issued their own statement in support of Hoch’s position seemingly seeking a path for stricter punishment for such an offense. “We have strongly urged the state legislature to change the law to allow charging such acts as a hate crime in the future. Our office will always support the LBGTQ+ community and the enforcement of laws that protect against acts of prejudice. Hate has no place in Palm Beach County.”

Libs of TikTok was at the forefront of mocking the outrage when compared to other heinous acts given a free pass by leftist activists and allies as others called for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to step in on the teen’s behalf.

“CALL IN THE FBI, CIA, NSA, AND DHS! Just look at the aftermath and utter devastation of this horrific crime! I’m shaking,” the account captioned an image of the intersection.

Kevin Haggerty
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