No, this didn’t happen in Mississippi or South Carolina, it happened in Manitou Springs, Colorado — a suburb of Colorado Springs, which Daily Beast describes as “a very white, heavily Republican Christian-conservative military city.”
(Note: The Air Force Academy, which constantly gets in trouble for violating the separation of church and state by pushing Christianity on Air Force cadets, is located in Colorado Springs.)
The victim is a prominent activist who runs a local political blog and is active in Black Lives Matter. Her name is Patricia Cameron, and she lives with her 8-year-old son. Several weeks ago, Cameron participated in a demonstration that involved burning a Confederate flag in a public park to protest the South Carolina church murders. The police and media were notified in advance, but the cops didn’t show up, and a local newspaper sent an intern. Then, last week, a cop knocked on her door at 11 p.m. and asked Cameron, who wasn’t dressed, to step outside. She was issued a citation for fourth-degree arson. A police department press release claims,
“The situation posed a risk of danger to the property and citizens of Manitou Springs, as there were multiple people in the area” …. The release states the department “strongly supports citizens who wish to employ their first amendment rights,” but “would urge those who employ those rights, to do so in a safe manner.”
You know, like when a biker gang roasted a pig to protest Ramadan. They weren’t cited, presumably because their demonstration didn’t pose a fire risk.
Photos: In Colorado, this is a crime …
… while this isn’t.